A Means of Force
by Faiakishi
Summary: "My name is Marik Ishtar, and I live in a shed in a backyard along with my best friend Bakura. I was kidnapped from my family and friends and brought here, and I don't know why. All I know is that Mariku hurts Bakura, and he hurts me. I don't understand. I just want to go home." Rape, Abuse, and Pedophilia. Bronzeshipping, Psychoshipping, eventual Thiefshipping.
1. Taken

**Disclaimer: Don't own YuGiOh. I do own a pair of extremely uncomfortable pair of three-inch stilettos I get to dance in. On a tall platform. And stairs.**

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**Friday, June 4, 2004**

**Morning**

I don't want to go to school.

It's not that I don't like school, or that I don't have any friends. Because I do. Like it, I mean. And have friends. I have a lot of good friends.

But today, I'm tired. I stayed up late watching a movie with my brother and sister, since we had to wait for Father to go to sleep to watch it. So I didn't get as much sleep as I'm used to.

I just want to go back to sleep and start the weekend early. I have a big weekend planned. School gets out next week, so my big sister Ishizu promised to take me shopping for new clothes, and then we and our brother Rishid are going to the water park. I'm so excited!

I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling. I don't want to get up just yet. I wonder if Ishizu will let me buy a new swimsuit before we go to the water park. Mine is getting old, there's a tear at the bottom. If she doesn't buy me a new one, Rishid will. Rishid is old and has his own job and everything, and he never says no to me when I ask him for anything. It makes me sad that he says he's going to move out soon, but he's twenty-one, ten years older than me, so I guess-

"Marik, what are you still doing it bed?" Ishizu opens my door without knocking. I groan.

"I'm tired, Ishizu."

"Oh, come on, Marik." She walks into my room, grabbing my covers and pulling them down. Suddenly I'm cold. I curl up in a ball and close my eyes. "Marik. You only have three more days of school left, then you can sleep in everyday."

"But I want to sleep in now." I sit up and cross my arms. Ishizu gets up and turns towards the door.

"Sorry, honey. I'm making banana bread for breakfast, if that entices you."

I don't know what 'entices' means, and I want to ask her, but then the word 'banana bread' gets through my head and and I jump out of bed.

"I'm up!" I say. Ishizu smiles.

It doesn't take me that long to get ready in the morning, probably because I don't shower. Part of me kinda wants to start showering in the morning; I feel sweaty and gross when I wake up. I've also started to notice hair growing on my legs and under my arms. Rishid and Father both have hair growing there too, but they don't bother to do anything with it. I don't like it. It feels prickly against my skin. Ishizu has leg hair too, but she shaves it off; I've seen her do it. I wonder if I can just shave my legs and under my arms too. I'll have to ask Rishid. It might be a girl thing.

I brush my hair and put on my gold armband, my favorite accessory, before putting on my school uniform and running down the stairs. Ishizu was telling the truth, she did make banana bread. She cuts me a thick slice and slathers on some butter before placing it on the table. I pour a glass of pomegranate juice for both of us. We're the only ones in the kitchen, since Father isn't up yet and Rishid is probably out working on the car that keeps breaking down. Ishizu and I are quiet, since we want to avoid waking Father up.

Father's been like this since we moved to America a few years ago. He sleeps most of the day and stays up all night drinking. His drinking scares me. His talking gets all jumbled up and he hits us. At least he hits Rishid and me. He usually leaves Ishizu alone.

Then it's time to walk to the bus stop. I put my dirty dish in the sink and go over to slip my shoes on. Ishizu smiles at me. "Have a good day at school, Mar-"

"DAMMIT, YOU KIDS, SHUT THE HELL UP!" Ishizu cringes as Father's door opens and he yells down the hall at us. "SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!"

He slams the door. I walk over and hug Ishizu quickly before grabbing my backpack and running out the door; I think it makes her feel better.

Rishid is outside, under the hood of the car that's parked on the street. He straightens up when I come out, giving me a smile. I'm Rishid's favorite sibling, and he's mine. Don't get me wrong, we both love Ishizu, but she's a girl, and that's different.

"Did Father yell at you?" I nod, and Rishid turns back to his work. "Don't let him upset you. Just go have a good day at school."

"I know, I will." I say. I think about asking Rishid about my leg hair, but he tends to go into long explanations when I ask him questions like this, so I decide to wait until I get home from school to ask.

I look up the hill and see a few of my friends at the bus stop. Yugi and Joey are comparing trading cards they probably got from Yugi's grandfather. Tristan and Duke are talking to Joey's sister Serenity, and I don't see Téa yet. I say goodbye to Rishid and start walking up the hill.

Yugi sees me and waves before turning back to the cards. I smile and grab a pinecone that is lying on the ground, playing with it as I walk up the hill. It's kinda sticky, so I toss it back onto the grass.

I faintly hear a car coming up in back of me. Up by the bus stop, Téa finally arrives and starts talking to Yugi. The car slows down next to me. I feel like this is odd, like it shouldn't be happening. But I brush it off. They're probably just asking for directions. But why didn't they stop for Rishid, who would know better than me? So many questions run through my mind.

The car stops, and so do I. I turn towards the car. It's white and has tinted windows; the one closest to me rolls down. I step forward, thinking the person inside is going to ask me a question. I see Rishid out of the corner of my eye, standing up straight, eyes trained on me. My friends have noticed too, and are watching while they talk.

Suddenly, there's pain. I'm on the ground, staring up at the blue, blue sky. My muscles feel alive, tingling and jumping around. I open my mouth to call for help, but nothing happens. I can't move.

The door opens. Someone grabs my arm and starts pulling, and I'm inside, inside the backseat of the car. I can hear Rishid yelling. I want to yell back. I still can't move.

The door closes. I want to scream. I'm so scared, so scared…

"Shh. It's okay, it's okay." A voice comes from somewhere above me. It's a boy. He has an accent, I think it's British. A loud bang from the back of the car makes me jump. The car lurches forward. A cool hand presses down on my forehead. "We're not going to hurt you. You're going to be fine."

"Bakura, do what I told you to do. Now!"

I don't know either of these people. I don't recognize the second voice, and he has no accent. We're moving, the second voice is driving. My hands get shoved in back. 'Bakura' whispers to me as he ties them together. "I'm sorry…"

A blanket is thrown over me. I twist, wanting it off me. I can't breathe! It's so dark too, I can't see anything…

"Put your seatbelt on, you little piece of shit. I'm not going easy on you if we get into an accident and you get hurt, and I'm certainly not taking you to a hospital."

Why wouldn't he take Bakura to a hospital? And what does he mean by 'going easy on him?' Did this kid do something wrong, and he's going to get punished for it? Who is this man?

"Sorry, sorry." The boy sighs and the weight on top of me disappears. I try to roll over, but something hits the middle of my back, pinning me in place. I hear the click of Bakura's seatbelt. "He's frightened out of his mind, Mariku. Can't I just-"

"You do what I brought you here to do and _only _what I brought you here to do, or I'll beat you with a bat and lock you up for a week with no food. Got it?"

"Got it." Bakura is quiet. We drive in silence for a while. I want to speak, I want to ask what is going on, but my mouth won't move. I'm scared. I want to go home.

After a while I start to hear a some honking, and I realize we must have driven into the city. I'll try to remember this. When someone tries to come find me I'll tell them we went to the city. I don't know if this man is actually taking me someplace in the city, but I really hope so. I want this ride to be over.

A few more minutes of driving, and the man driving slams on the brakes. "Crap, Bakura, get down! Cop car!"

There's a click and suddenly Bakura is lying down flat on top of me. He doesn't weigh all that much, I realize that he must be around my age. What is he doing with this man? What am I doing with them?

It feels like a couple hours pass before the man driving sighs in relief and Bakura gets back up. My head is full of questions, questions I'm really scared I'll never get to ask.

"Mariku, you know it's been-"

"I don't care how long it's been, I'm not going to take the chance someone's going to recognize you and take you away from me!"

Bakura doesn't say anything else. I try to turn and look up at him, but then Bakura's heel is pressing down on my back again. I stay still.

I want to scream, I want them to answer the questions that are bouncing around my head. Who is this man? Who is Bakura, and why is he with the man? Why would someone want to take him away? What do they want with me?

What is going on?

* * *

**I know it probably seems like Marik and Bakura are both really out of character. And I sorta agree. I haven't seen every episode of YuGiOh, so feel free to correct me if I get anything wrong.**

**With Marik, I was thinking back to his flashback episodes before he killed his father. He's so innocent! That's kinda what I wanted to highlight here. Even though he's been abused by his father all throughout his life, Marik is still a happy, loving child. Then his perception of the world is cracked and his entire being shifts practically overnight. We'll be exploring that soon. **

**Bakura? Geeze, I don't know. I never really understood the thought process behind his character. He's literally been to hell and back, ****(murder of his family and burning of his village, all at a very young age) and he sacrifices and suffers for centuries in the hopes that he can avenge them. He's not a senseless villain, just wanting to cause mayhem or wanting revenge for something trivial or unavoidable. No, he's no hero, but he didn't deserve to just be shoved into the Classic Villain position that needed filling and get crushed by the 'Hero', who, frankly, had no concept of suffering and made no attempt to really think about his choices and had no real dilemmas.**

**Alright, now that we're done with my character analysis of Bakura...And Atem. Again, I haven't seen all the episodes, and Atem is far from being my favorite character, so I don't know everything about him. So if I got anything wrong, feel free to point it out to me.**

**We don't see a lot of Mariku, but we shall be exploring his psychoness very soon.**

**Also this title is subject to change. If you have any suggestions, please let me know! Constructive criticism would be appreciated! **


	2. Confusion

**Disclaimer: I own two coupons to a store that no longer exists, given to me by my managers for balancing my drawer above $1600. (So many people...coming to see Breaking Dawn...) I don't own YuGiOh. I don't own Marik or Bakura, though I'd gladly trade my coupons for them.**

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**Friday, June 4, 2004**

**Still Morning**

I think I fell asleep, but I'm not sure. But suddenly the honking is gone and we're going much slower. Bakura and the man aren't talking. I feel hot. I want to take the blanket off. I want to go home.

Soon, we slow to a stop. The man turns off the car and tells Bakura to get out and keep his face down so no one can see. I think he does, but I can't see so I can't be 100% sure. Suddenly someone's grabbing my arm and pulling, pulling…

I'm on my feet. The blanket is still over my head, and a large hand is at the back of my neck, pushing me along. I somehow make my feet move. Grass begins to squish beneath my feet. The man holding my neck jerks his hand upwards, and I wonder what he's doing when my foot slams against something hard. I bite my lip and fall forward, with no hands to break my fall. The man catches me and pulls me up by my armpits, and soon we are over the stairs.

A door creaks, and suddenly I am cool. My knee bangs against something as I'm pushed forward. The door swings closed again, and I keep walking.

Suddenly we stop, and the blanket is ripped off me. I blink.

A large, tan man is standing directly in front of me. His blonde hair, kinda like mine, sticks up from his head in weird directions. This seems really funny to me, and I start to laugh even though I'm scared. He narrows his dark eyes.

"What's so funny?" He grabs the front of my uniform shirt. I stop laughing.

"Mariku, please." I turn my head. A small boy, even smaller than me, is standing by the wall, watching. His hair is so light, it's practically white. And it's not cut short like most boy's hair, or even at the shoulders like mine. His hair falls all the way down his back, poking out in every direction it feels like. I'm immediately fascinated by this long white hair. I want to touch it. Bakura raises his hands. "Please don't hurt him, at least not today. He's really scared."

"Hmph." The man Bakura called Mariku drops me, and I fall on my butt. He quickly approaches Bakura, who seems scared but doesn't move. Suddenly Mariku's fingers are in Bakura's unique hair, and he's pulling and pulling. Bakura grits his teeth but doesn't make a sound. I want to say something for him, but I still can't talk. I begin to worry. When will my voice come back?

"Do you want to go back in the dark?!" Bakura squeezes his eyes shut and shakes his head. Mariku grabs his shoulder and begins shaking him. "Do you want me to lock you up under the stairs and leave you without food or light? Speak, dammit, you pest!" He slams Bakura into the wall. I'm angry now. Why is he hurting Bakura?

"Leave him alone." Bakura opens his eyes, and Mariku's turns towards me. I'm standing up. I found my voice again. "I-I'll do whatever you want, just don't be mad at him."

Mariku laughs and drops Bakura to the floor. He walks over to me stares down. I shake. I've never been so scared in my life.

Suddenly Mariku's large hands are in my hair, fingers running through the strands. I want to bat them away, but I force myself to stand there as he tugs on my hair. It hurts, but not as bad as it must have for Bakura.

"I promised you cake, didn't I, Bakura?" Mariku says suddenly, not turning around. Bakura is getting to his feet.

"I-I don't need cake…"

"No, I promised you cake if we got away with it. I made some chocolate cake this morning. It has the frosting you like. It's in the fridge. Have as much as you want."

Bakura doesn't move at first. I realize I'm in a kitchen. At least, half the room in a kitchen. A refrigerator and a row of counters are set up on the wall to my left, along with an entryway to another room, where I can see a door. We must have come in there. On the wall in front of me, where Bakura is, there's another door, the stove, and farther down, stairs. There's a fireplace on the right wall, and when I twist around I see some windows and the front door. Two couches, a television, and a lamp are in the living room side of the room, and a table with two chairs sit on this side.

Bakura stares for a moment longer, then walks over to the fridge. He opens it and pulls out a pan covered in tinfoil.

Mariku reaches behind me, and suddenly my hands are free. Mariku tugs on my arm. He leads me through the door, which I find out leads to a bathroom. A sink and toilet are on the left, a single shower on the right. There's one window, small and so high up I will never be able to reach.

Mariku shuts the door. He turns to me, folding his arms over his chest. He stares. I fidget.

"Take off your clothes." He says suddenly. I blink. He has to be joking. Why would this weird man want me to take off my clothes? I want to laugh, but I'm too afraid to.

Mariku doesn't laugh. He continues to stare at me. "Either take them off for me, or I'll rip them off your body."

Not good. Father will be mad if this man ruins my uniform. He'll have to give Ishizu money to pay for a new one. I start unbuttoning my shirt, thinking about Father and my brother and sister. Rishid saw them take me, I know that, but do Father and Ishizu know I've been stolen yet? Are they looking for me? Is Father worried, or does he not care?

"Dammit, go faster." Mariku bats my hands away, grabbing my shirt and ripping it open, tiny plastic circles scattering everywhere. I yell out and jump away, reaching for the door. Mariku grabs my sleeve and pulls, and my shirt is off. I don't care. I grab the doorknob. It won't move. Locked.

"You little shit…" I'm on the floor, and Mariku's hands are at my zipper. Then he's pulling my pants down, my underwear too. I don't know what happened to my shoes and socks. I'm suddenly naked, not a thing on my body besides my gold armband. Mariku doesn't take that. I cover it with my hand so he doesn't try.

Mariku stands up and takes off his own clothes. I've seen naked men before, both Father and my brother, but they're family so it doesn't count. This is weird.

Now we're both naked, and Mariku grins down at me. "Like what you see?" He says, gesturing to his privates.

Why would I like seeing it? This is weird. Does he make Bakura do this, get undressed with him?

Mariku pulls me up by my hair. "You know what to do with that?" He doesn't really ask. I look up at him and shake my head no. He laughs. I don't think this is funny. I'm scared.

"Touch it." He says. I do. It feels hard and weird. Why is this man making me touch his private business?

"Move your hand up and down." I look up. I don't like this new order. It seems wrong. Mariku scratches him head. "Ah, I guess that's enough for one day. Get in the shower."

I do, and Mariku turns the water on. It's cold at first, so I stand back. Mariku gets in with me; I think this is weird. Rishid, Ishizu and I used to take baths together when we were little, but Ishizu stopped when I was really young. I don't really remember when. Rishid would take baths with me for a while, until Father told him that it was 'faggy' and that I was too old for it. I didn't know what that word means. I still don't, but some boys in my class use it so I think it's a bad word.

The water turns warm. Mariku has his back turned, trying to grab something from the thing that hangs down from the showerhead. I put my hands in the water flow. It feels good.

Mariku turns back. "Stand up straight and lift your arms up." He says. I do. He bends down, looking at everything. I don't like this. Nobody's ever looked at me this way before. His hands find the tattoo on my back, and he traces it. I try not to cry. I don't like people touching my tattoo. It hurt to get, and I don't like it. He takes his hand away. He shows me what he has in his hands; a red bottle with the words SHAVING CREAM on it and a black razor. I start to put my arms down, they're sore, but he tells me to keep them up.

"Have you ever shaved before?" He asks as he squirts some of the shaving cream into his hands. It's white and foamy. I shake my head. "I can do it for you today. I'll have Bakura teach you how to do it yourself." He puts the cream on my underarms. "I don't like hair, so I make Bakura shave. He's pretty good about it."

I stay silent as he shaves off the hair underneath my arms and on my legs, even the hair by my private parts. This is really uncomfortable for me. No one's touched me there since I've been in diapers.

When I'm hairless on everywhere except the top of my head, he turns around again, this time coming back with a bottle of shampoo. It's not the brand Rishid and I are supposed to use. It looks more like Ishizu's scented shampoos. Her shampoos always make her hair smell really good, so I steal them sometimes. This one is Milk and Honey scented.

"I always have Bakura use girl's shampoo." Mariku explains while slathering my hair with the gooey stuff. My hair is thick with foam. "It makes his hair feel soft and smell nice. You'll be using it too."

I don't want to use the shampoo to smell nice for him. He shouldn't care what I smell like.

Finally we're done and we get out. He puts his clothes back on; I reach for mine and he slaps my hand. It hurts, but I don't yell. "I'll get you something to wear. You're not allowed to wear these anymore."

"When can I go home?" I ask. Mariku stops, his hand on the door. He doesn't look back at me.

"I don't know. I'll work on it."

I'm left alone in the bathroom. I sit on the toilet, naked, swinging my bare feet. The air coming out of the vent makes me cold, but I'm afraid he'll hurt me if I close it. I close my eyes and imagine I'm home.

I try to imagine my family. Did Ishizu go to school today, or did she stay home after I was taken? What about Rishid, did he go to his job as a cashier at the gas station? Will Father go into work at the museum later today? I can't tell if I want them to go or stay home. I don't want them to worry, but I really hope someone is looking for me. I don't want to be here any longer. When will someone find me here? It'll take a few hours, probably, but will I be stuck here overnight? Will I miss the water park trip? Would Rishid and Ishizu go without me?

I have a bad thought. What if I'm here for a really long time? Like, maybe weeks? Or even a month? I open my eyes. The bathroom is still the same. I haven't been magically transported home.

The door opens. Mariku appears, and he throws something at me. I catch it-black sweatpants.

"Those are Bakura's." Mariku says. "I'll buy you some of your own clothes later. For now, you'll just have to share with him."

I don't want to share clothes with Bakura. I don't want Mariku to buy me new clothes. I want mine back. I want to go home and forget about this.

I put the pants on, and they fit okay, which surprises me because Bakura is really skinny. I don't like how he didn't give me a shirt, but I can't do anything about it.

Mariku opens the door and lets me out when I have the pants on. Bakura is sitting on one of the chairs, staring at the table. I don't see any cake. Mariku tells me to sit down across from Bakura. I do. Bakura doesn't look up.

"You boys are probably hungry." Mariku says, walking over to the refrigerator. "Bakura likes grilled cheese sandwiches. I have bacon. Do you like grilled cheese with bacon, Marik?"

I didn't know he knew my name. I don't like that. That means stealing me wasn't random. He wanted me. He won't just let me go.

"I'm a vegetarian." I get out, even though I'm scared he'll get mad.

He goes about getting the ingredients together. "I'll just make Bakura's with bacon, then."

Bakura and I sit in silence as Mariku butters the bread and throws the slices into the pan. He puts cheese and tomato slices on both, and bacon on one. Then he puts the tops on.

Grilled cheese doesn't take a long time to make. He slides the sandwiches onto plates and sets them down in front of us. He walks over to the refrigerator again and takes out two cans of soda, which he also gives to us.

I'm still scared, but my stomach is growling, so I eat. It tastes good. Bakura eats too. He doesn't look at me. Mariku grabs a chair and drags it over to the table, sitting on it backwards with his legs spread and arms folded over the backrest. "How old are you, Marik?"

I swallow. "Eleven."

"So is Bakura." Mariku grins. "You're both so old. When Bakura first came to live with me, he was only seven years old."

I stop chewing. Bakura's been here for…four years? He's a whole different color than Mariku, so I don't think they're related. Mariku probably stole him too. Isn't anyone looking for him? Will that be me? Will I be here for four years?

No. I can't be. Someone will find me. I won't be here much longer.

"What's your family like, Marik?"

I force myself to keep eating. I want him to stop asking me questions. "I have a brother and sister and a father."

"No mother?"

"She died when I was a baby." I take another bite. I don't understand why Mariku gets to ask me all these questions while I have so many questions myself. I want Bakura to talk too. He hasn't spoken since Mariku hurt him earlier.

Mariku asks me a bunch of questions, and I'm not very comfortable answering them. They seem like personal questions, ones that are your business and no one else's. He seems pleased by my responses, and I'm happy that I haven't upset him.

Bakura and I get done eating and Bakura takes my plate, bringing it over to the dishwasher. Mariku gets up.

"I have to go over to Akefia's for a bit. I'm locking the door. You two behave, got it?" He makes eye contact with Bakura and hands him a little gun thing. Bakura nods. He tells me that the thing in Bakura's hand is a stun gun and he used it to steal me, and Bakura has his permission to use it on me if I misbehave. I nod, and Mariku leaves.

I want to walk around, explore the house, or even find a way out. But Bakura grabs my arm and leads me over to the couch, pushing me down onto it.

I want to ask him what is going on, why I was stolen and why he's here. But he just turns on the TV and sits down, staring at the box.

He's turned the news on, and I watch boredly. I never really understood why Ishizu and Rishid were so interested in the news. It just seems like a bunch of old people talking about clothes and clouds and cars. I don't care about any of it, so I've always just ignored the news. I don't see why we're watching-

And then there's me. My picture on the screen, white text and a red background.

**AMBER ALERT**

**Marik Ishtar**

**Age: 11**

**DOB: 12/23/1993**

**Sex: Male**

**Ethnicity: Middle Eastern**

And on and on. There's a buzzing noise, kinda like when there's a storm and they give a warning on TV. A voice interrupts, and a strange man is giving the information. He says my name wrong, like there's an L instead of an R. It gives my height and weight, tells everyone that my hair is blonde and my eye color is purple, even though there's a picture of me up on the screen. They talk about the car I was abducted in, even gives the license plate number. They even mention the fact that Bakura jumped out of the car for a minute to grab me.

I turn to look at Bakura. He's staring at the screen, not even blinking. The door opens. I jump.

"Dammit…" Mariku stares for a minute before coming over, grabbing something from below the TV stand and pushing it into the VCR. My picture disappears. The Disney logo comes on.

"I know you guys are a bit old for Disney movies, but Aladdin is a classic." Mariku says as he gets up. He walks over to the kitchen, not looking at us.

"What did you do with the car?" Bakura asks. "They have the license plate number."

"The car didn't belong to me." Mariku says as he dials the phone. "Akefia and I pushed it into a river. They can't trace it back to us. You guys are safe."

I don't feel very safe. I'd be safe if I were back home with my brother and sister, not here with this weird man that makes me shower with him and touch his privates.

Then the _Arabian Nights _song comes on and Bakura and I lose ourselves in Aladdin's adventures.

* * *

**Friday, June 4, 2004**

**Evening**

Bakura and I watch movies all day as Mariku runs around the house, calling this 'Akefia' person several times and locking himself in his room for periods of time. Bakura ignores him for the most part. After Aladdin we watch The Lion King, and then we're out of Disney movies to watch so Bakura puts in a movie called American Pie that we found on the shelf. Mariku comes in and yells at us, then turns the television to Cartoon Network. They're having a Scooby-Doo marathon, and I'm happy. I haven't watched Scooby-Doo in a long time, but it's familiar so I feel better.

Mariku makes us dinner. Pizza. I eat a slice, then eat a second when Mariku motions for me to take more. My stomach's starting to hurt from the cheese I've eaten today, since I have a hard time eating dairy products, but I don't say anything. At least he hasn't made me drink milk.

The phone rings, and Mariku answers it. He talks for a bit, and looks relieved. I assume it's Akefia, but I can't be sure. Finally, Mariku stands up and tells us it's time to go.

I'm excited. We get to go home? Oh, thank Ra! I've been so scared…

Bakura takes my arm. He says it's time to go 'next door.' I'm confused. Doesn't Mariku want us to stay with him? Wasn't that the point of stealing us?

Mariku comes with a strip of cloth in his hand. He says that he has to blindfold me just for now, but if I'm good and don't try to run away he won't have to tie me up or anything. I nod and he puts the blindfold over my eyes.

I can't see anything, so Bakura leads me. I hear a door open again, and we're outside. We go down the stairs again, but then Bakura tugs my arm in the same direction. I think we go around the stairs. Then we make another turn. And another door is opening.

I feel wood beneath my feet. The door closes. Bakura takes the blindfold off me.

We're in another house. Or at least it feels like another house, but it's all one room. There's a refrigerator and counters to my left and a stove to my right. A table with two chairs sits in the middle. Next to the stove is a bookcase, then a double bed, which is pushed up along the opposite wall, along with a chest of drawers. In the back, the room extends to the right a bit, so I can't see what's there.

"This is your home now. You'll be living here with Bakura." What? No, I already have a home! I don't need another one!

Mariku is smiling, and he touches my hair. He talks to Bakura for a few minutes, but I don't really listen to what they're saying. Mariku tells me that Bakura is in charge of me, and if I try to run away, Bakura will be punished. I bite my lip. I don't want to be here, but I don't want him to hurt Bakura either.

Mariku leaves. I'm grateful, but I'm even more scared now. I feel like someone should know where I am by now. I feel like I should be going home.

Bakura is at the bookshelf, taking out books, so I wander over to see what's in the other part of the room. It's not a lot. A wooden desk and chair with an old-looking TV on the side, facing the couch that's been pushed there. There's a door; I open that and I find a bathroom. Sink and toilet on my left, tub and shower on my right.

There are three windows in the room. All of them have bars on them. Two have big plants in front of them, so all you can see when you look out are leaves. But I can see out of one, and I can see a house. I wonder if the people living there think it's weird that Mariku has a shed that has the lights on all the time. I wonder if anyone cares.

"We do laundry in the bathtub." Bakura is behind me, and I jump.

"Wha…"

Bakura looks annoyed. "We don't have a washing machine, and Mariku doesn't want us to use his, so we do laundry in the bathtub. On Wednesdays. I always do laundry on Wednesdays."

I nod. Bakura walks over to the table and starts scribbling in a notebook. "I've been following this schedule for the past few years, and I expect you to follow one too. I get up at nine A.M. and I have school until two. I-"

"How do you have school if there are no teachers?" I say. Bakura looks at me, and I realize that his eyes are a weird shade of reddish brown.

"I teach myself." He says. "Mariku gives me whatever books I want, and I used to be able to print off worksheets…" He makes a note in his notebook. "We can teach each other now. We have to stay smart."

I open my mouth to answer, but instead I just nod. Bakura keeps writing away, not looking up at me.

"Mariku brings groceries on Sundays. That's the holy day, so we don't have anything else scheduled for that day," I don't tell Bakura that I'm not Christian. I don't think the gods will really care that I rest on Sunday because it's Christian. They probably have bigger things to worry about. "Saturdays we clean. The floor is mopped, the mirror and windows are cleaned, and we scrub the sink, tub, and the toilet."

I don't like cleaning, so cleaning all of this every week seems a bit much to me.

"Mondays through Fridays we have school from ten to two." He keeps going. "I always eat breakfast at nine before I shower and get dressed, then we can eat lunch at noon. Dinner at five or six, depending on how hungry we are."

He taps the pencil to the page a few more times.

"After school I take a break and do something fun until four. That's free time. Then I work on school stuff or read until dinner. After dinner I do my chores and then I have more free time until nine. Mariku usually comes in between nine and ten, if he comes in at all. Then I watch the ten o'clock news and go to bed." Scribble scribble. "You don't have to follow the exact same schedule, of course. But I think it would be efficient for us to get up and eat at the same time, and we can teach each other during school hours."

I don't say anything at first. I don't know what to say to him. Why would he make a schedule like this, follow it so closely? He's free to do whatever he wants here, why bother keeping up with school, with cleaning things?

Bakura looks at me. He sighs, running a hand through his white hair and tries to smile at me. "I'm sorry, I know you're really scared. I just have a certain way of doing things here, and I'm a little uncomfortable with sharing the room, now that you're here."

I nod, looking down. Bakura comes over and takes my arm, leading me to the table and letting me sit down. He sits down across from me. We're silent for a minute.  
"Why?" I finally get out. Bakura looks up.

"Why what?"

"Why did you guys take me?" I gesture with my hands. "I was fine where I was, and you're fine, so I don't…I don't…"

I can't stop the tears, and they spill over. Bakura doesn't comfort me, but I don't mind.

"I tried to get him to leave you alone, but he wouldn't listen." Bakura says quietly. "He said I wasn't enough for him anymore, and that I was probably lonely in here by myself anyway, so having another boy live with us would be a good thing, beneficial for all of us." He moves his hair out of his face. It just falls back. He leaves it alone. "He saw you a couple months ago at the museum, when he was picking out a Valentine's Day present for me."

"My dad works at the museum." I say. I wonder why a grown man was giving Bakura a present for Valentine's Day, but I don't ask.

"I think he told me that. Anyway, he kinda became obsessed with you. He volunteered at your school to learn about you, your name and everything. He found your grades, and he said you'd be a great friend for me, because we were both so smart."

I'm not sure if I like this, Mariku knowing all this about me. Why did he care about me so much? Why not some other boy? Then I feel bad for wishing this on someone else. But still…

Why me?

"He started planning the kidnapping a while ago with Akefia. Akefia's Mariku's best friend, but he's mean in a different way than Mariku." Bakura looks at me sadly. I'm nervous now. I thought Mariku normally treated Bakura really well, with making him cake and buying him presents and everything. But I guess he's mean to Bakura too. "Akefia watched your house for a few days to figure out your family's schedule, but he couldn't figure out a time where he could be sure you would be home alone. So they decided the best bet was to grab you when you were walking up to the bus stop, since nobody would be close enough to help you."

It's weird hearing about this from Bakura. He looks sad, and after a minute, he wipes his eye on the sleeve of his sweatshirt.

"I-I'm sorry." Bakura says. "I didn't want to help, but Mariku said he'd cut me up and leave me underneath the stairs in the dark…"

Bakura stands up. The tears in his eyes are gone; his face is cold again. "Anyway, you can have the bed tonight." He says, wandering over to the chest of drawers. "I have some pajamas you can borrow. I'll sleep on the couch for now."

Part of me thinks that it would be polite to tell Bakura to sleep in the bed, that I would sleep on the couch, but then I think about being in between the covers, with a mattress underneath me, and all I can think is that I'll be able to pretend that I'm home.

So I nod. Bakura lays out the clothing, then goes into the bathroom. I hear water running as he gets ready for bed. I put the pajamas on, grateful that Bakura gave me a T-shirt to wear. When I am done I stand there awkwardly; not really sure what to do.

Bakura walks in and gives me a brief look before pointing at the desk. "The laundry basket is under there. Just throw your dirty stuff in there, we'll wash it on Wednesday.

I turn down the covers, and it makes me happy to see that they are thick. I look over to Bakura. "Was everything here when you first moved in?"

Bakura is arranging the second pillow and an extra blanket on the couch. The blanket looks like he took a bunch of his old clothes and sewed it all together. It looks kinda cool, and definitely warm. He doesn't look up. "The bathroom stuff, yeah, except for the mirror. Out here was just the cabinets, I think those were there before he planned on me moving in, the drawers and a bed. I had a different bed than this." He points. "Mariku keeps adding furniture he finds at thrift stores. I just got the stove about a year ago, though, before he was afraid I'd hurt myself."

Bakura is silent. He's probably feeling guilty because he helped steal me. I feel bad, for some reason. I feel like I should tell him it wasn't his fault.

But it kinda is. I crawl into the bed. Bakura shuts off the lights.


	3. Being Protected

**NOTE: This chapter and the last chapter were previously one giant chapter. Obviously, that didn't work. So I split it in half. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Saturday, June 5, 2004**

**Morning**

When Bakura's alarm clock goes off at nine A.M, I squeeze my eyes shut and try to ignore it. Bakura gets up and walks across the room, shutting the clock off. I don't move. He doesn't bother me.

How long have I been here? The bus picks me up at 8:06 in the morning, since my school starts at 8:30, so I was stolen around eight. That means I've been here for over 24 hours. I don't like this.

Bakura begins opening cabinet doors. A pan crashes to the floor. The TV across the room flicks on. He doesn't seem to care that I'm still sleeping.

I wonder what my family is doing. When did they get to sleep last night? Are they up yet, or are they sleeping in? What are they doing to find me? Does Father even care that I'm missing?

I wish I was allowed to call them. Let them know I'm okay. I don't want to be here, but I don't want them to worry about me. That's worse.

"Do you want pancakes?" Bakura asks. My eyes open. "I think I still have some chocolate chips, but we don't have any syrup."

I get out of bed. "That's fine." I say, then try to smile. I don't think Bakura buys it. I go to the refrigerator and open it. There isn't a lot there, especially for two of us. I grab a carton of apple juice and pour us both a glass.

I hear my name. Bakura looks up, but quickly turns back to the pancakes. I race over to the television, where the news lady is talking.

A picture of me and Ishizu that Rishid took of us about a month ago at a restaurant is up in the corner. In the picture we're hugging, Ishizu bending down so our faces are pressed together. They cropped out most of my sister, but you can still tell she's there.

The lady is talking about Rishid. Tells everyone that he was standing a 'stone's throw' away from me when I was pulled into the car, and how 'horrifying' was it that he was forced to watch while he couldn't do anything? My stomach drops. I wish Rishid didn't have to watch that. I wish I had never been stolen in the first place, but if it had to happen, I would have it happen somewhere my family and friends didn't have to see. Didn't have to blame themselves.

The man next to the lady starts talking about how parents should be walking with their kids, especially now that there's a kidnapper on the loose. I'm confused by this, the only kidnapper here is Mariku, and he already has me and Bakura. He doesn't care about all the other kids.

He goes on to say that if Rishid had walked me to the bus stop, it probably would have discouraged any 'kidnapping attempts', or he could have fought them off. I'm really angry now, if Rishid is watching this he probably feels really bad. Rishid didn't do anything wrong. Mariku is the only one who did something wrong.

The news switches over to a house fire, where no one died but one little old lady is in the hospital. I keep watching, even though they're not talking about me.

Bakura brings my plate of pancakes and glass of juice over to me. He sits next to me with his own breakfast and watches with me. We eat in silence. His pancakes taste good.

I like Bakura, but I really hope we get rescued soon. I want to go home, and I want Bakura to go home too, because I'm pretty sure he was stolen just like me. How much longer until someone finds us? When will we be able to go home?

* * *

**Thursday, June 10, 2004**

**Evening**

I'm still here.

I was hoping that Rishid and Ishizu would be able to find me, that I would be gone soon. But I guess they're having a hard time finding me.

I'm still on the news. They show my picture a lot, but they don't mention Bakura or a car. They call it the 'search' for me, but they're looking in all the wrong places. Bakura says that they're not looking for me anymore; they're looking for my body. They think whoever kidnapped me must have killed me and dumped what was left.

But that's stupid. Why would somebody steal me just to kill me?

And besides. I'm not dead. I'm right here. Totally alive. Just stuck in this stupid room.

The worst part of seeing me on the news was seeing my family on screen. I was happy to see them, but they were so sad. They showed pictures of the four of us, all happy together. Even my father. This isn't very accurate of the news station, and I point this out. Bakura says that's the part about tragedies people like; rewriting the past and painting over the ugliness.

Father declines an interview, but both Ishizu and Rishid sit through a session. Ishizu starts crying halfway through it, talking about how much she misses me and how she'd do anything to have her brother back.

Rishid does a bit better. He keeps his face blank during the interview, but towards the end the reporter asks him if he thought I was alive or not. Rishid says he knows I'm alive, he can feel it, and I have to keep myself from jumping with joy. Then the reporter lady tells him that 75% of all kidnap victims are killed in the first three hours. Rishid doesn't respond, and the reporter puts her hand on his leg all sympathetic-like, like she's trying to comfort him. Rishid gets up and leaves the room. I don't see him on the news after that.

While they look for my body that doesn't exist, I stay in the shed. I haven't been outside it since I first came in. Mariku comes to visit us every night, but he doesn't do anything besides ask us what we did during the day. He brought us food on Sunday, just like Bakura said. He brought really good stuff, like pizza and chocolate, and even brought some canned fruits and vegetables for me. It feels like Mariku has a lot of money, but Bakura says he uses credit cards to buy stuff and just doesn't pay it back.

Bakura and I stick to our schedule. We do clean on Saturday, and it doesn't take very long because our shed isn't that big. The rest of the day is free for us to do whatever we want. Bakura sits at the table and draws for a bit, but he can see that I'm bored so he gets up and we play board games. He has three in the cabinet: checkers, Monopoly, and Life. He says that he'll get more use out of the games now that I'm here. Mariku sometimes plays them with him, but Mariku isn't here that often. He plays Life by himself sometimes, though.

Sunday we sleep in. Not very long, but later than nine. Bakura prays in the bathroom. I think I hear him crying, but when he comes out he looks fine. I pray too, because it felt weird not to. I didn't really know what to do. I've never been all that religious, Father says he's religious, but then he's mean to me and my brother and sister, so I still haven't seen any proof.

I'm super bored, and I'm glad Bakura is there or else I'd be really bored. Bakura doesn't talk much, but he doesn't really need to. He lets me see some of his drawings. They're really good, but kinda scary. They're all monsters or ghosts or skeletons, and they're all creepy. He draws the same blue bald woman over and over again, and she's always holding this demented baby doll thing. Bakura doesn't answer when I ask about her.

I'm kinda glad when it's Monday and it's time for school. Bakura has me write down everything I've been studying lately, and he gets really happy to see that he's 'stayed ahead.' I tell him I'm in the fifth grade-he was only in the second grade when he was stolen. But he's smarter than me, so I guess it doesn't really matter how many years of education you have, just how smart you want to be.

Bakura gives me long division and percentage problems to do. I've always been really good at math so they're not hard. Bakura's super good with reading and words, which is good because that's harder for me. When I catch up to Bakura's level, we'll be able to help each other out.

Bakura's from England, a country in Europe, so he gives me some European history lessons. I find it really interesting, especially this King Henry person Bakura says had six wives. Bakura says we can ask Mariku for books about him. I tell Bakura about Egypt. He's really confused by the religion my family follows, since we have different gods. I try to explain that we believe that they're all kind of one god in different forms, but then I get confused and stop. Bakura says he kinda understands, it's like this thing in his religion called the 'Trinity'. I don't know what he's talking about so I just nod and don't say anything.

I know I shouldn't be happy that I know Bakura, since we met because of Mariku, but I am happy. I like Bakura a lot. Sometimes when we're together, I can almost forget where I am, what happened to me. They're the only times I can feel really happy now.

Usually when Mariku comes in he sits at the table, Bakura across from him, and me on the bed. We tell him what we've been working on in school and what games we've played. He has Bakura show him some of the drawings he does sometimes. Bakura never shows him the blue woman.

Tonight is different. Mariku comes in with a plastic fast food cup in one hand, which he sets on the counter. He doesn't sit down at the table, even though me and Bakura are already in place. He points to the cup.  
"Do you boys know what that is?"

I shake my head no. Bakura looks down at the ground.

"I got you boys a milkshake. You can have it after we're done."

Done with what? Mariku just grins at me before slowly walking over to the bed. I'm scared. Why is he looking at me this way?

Bakura gets to his feet and quickly runs in between Mariku and I. "Please, Mariku. Don't hurt him."

"It's been a week." He growls. "I've waited a fucking _week _to do this, Bakura, all because you felt sorry for him. Did I wait a week for you?"

"No…"

"Then stop feeling sorry for him. It's pathetic."

Mariku goes to push Bakura to the side, but Bakura clamps onto his arm. "Please, Mariku! I'll do anything you want, and I promise I won't cry or anything. Please, just wait!"

I'm so far back on the bed, my back is touching the wall. My heart is beating so loud I think everyone can hear me. I think maybe if I get scared enough, people outside will hear and know where to find me.

Mariku looks down at Bakura, smiling again. "Anything I want? That's a stupid thing for you to offer, Bakura. You know what I've done to you in the past."

Bakura doesn't say anything, just stares back with tears in his eyes.

"But it's endearing to see how much you've come to care for Marik. Really, I'm glad you two are becoming so close. You'll be living with each other for the rest of your lives, after all."

He's…not going to let us go? He has to, eventually… We'll be adults someday, and you can't keep adults locked up.

"Oh, well. Since I am an understanding man, I will leave Marik alone tonight and take you up on your offer, Bakura."

Mariku sits down on Bakura's chair, knees apart. He pushes Bakura onto his knees, facing his crotch. Bakura looks at the zipper fearfully.

"You offered, Bakura. Now you have to follow through." He laughs a bit, then turns to me. "Watch and learn from someone with experience, Marik. Bakura won't take your place forever."

I want to cry. I don't want Bakura to take my place. But I'm scared.

Bakura's pale hands shake as he reaches up to undo Mariku's zipper. He takes his private part out, and I want to look away, but Mariku told me to watch.

"Remember, you promised not to cry." Mariku smiles, nicely this time, down at Bakura. "And no biting. I'll hurt you both if you bite."

Bakura nods and brings his face closer to Mariku's privates. Then he does a weird thing: he puts it in his mouth.

I can't understand what Bakura is doing. His mouth is making weird sucking noises, and his head bobs back and forth. Mariku groans and grabs a handful of Bakura's hair, pulling and forcing Bakura to take him deeper. Bakura gags, but keeps going.

It goes on for a while; too long. I want to look away, but I can't. I want him to stop doing this to Bakura. Why can't he just leave us alone?

Suddenly, Mariku gets up, pulling his private part out of Bakura's mouth. He pulls Bakura up by the hair and shoves him onto the table. Bakura grips the sides, bending over, his white hair hiding his face. Mariku pulls his pants down in the back and positions himself. Then, without warning, he shoves his thing into Bakura. Bakura lets out a strangled yell.

Mariku moves his hips back and front, grunting. He grips Bakura's hips, smacking his butt every couple of seconds. It's disgusting. I want to hit Mariku, get him away from Bakura.

But there's nothing I can do.

Finally, Mariku groans and goes limp over Bakura's body, bracing himself much like Bakura is over the table. He stays that way for a minute before pulling out, quickly zipping his pants back up. Bakura collapses to the floor, shaking.

"I'll see you boys tomorrow night." Mariku winks at me before walking over to the door, unlocking it and going out into the night.

I wait until the door locks behind him before I jump down from the bed, running over to Bakura.

"Bakura! Bakura, I'm so, so sorry. Are you okay?"

Bakura doesn't look at me, just shoves me away and grabs onto the table. "I'm fine, Marik. You didn't do anything wrong."

He pulls himself up, pulling his pants up as well. He walks over to the TV, which we've moved from the desk to the counter, so we can watch it at the table. Bakura said he's wanted to move it for a while, but couldn't by himself. He turns the news on, then sits down.

I stand there awkwardly, but then I remember. I run over and grab the milkshake, bringing it over to the table.

"Here, this is yours."

"You can have it." He says, not looking at me. I look down.

"Bakura, I…I'm just…" I want to cry, but I don't. "Thank you, Bakura."

Bakura looks up at me, looking surprised. His mouth moves, but no words come out. Finally, his face returns to normal.

"Here, we can share the shake." He gestures to the cup. I hand it to him first. He takes a sip, then passes it back to me and turns to the TV. I suck on the straw. Cold chocolate lands on my tongue. It's good. I like strawberry shakes the best, but I still like this.

Bakura and I watch the news, chocolate shake disappearing between us. After we're done, we go to sleep in the same bed.

* * *

**Ah this chapter is so long! And there's a five hundred discrepancy between FF's word count and Word's. I used to write in Document Manager, so I have never before known the horror that is Fanfiction's word count...**

**My A/N is going to be really long too. Why? Because I'm trying to put off finishing my three papers and ecology project until the last minute.**

**Alright, talking about the story now...**

**For Marik. Since he is the voice of the story, I get to have a bit of fun with him. He doesn't seem like the Marik we know in the series, simply because he's been rather sheltered his entire life. He has no idea what rape is, and has no concept of sexual abuse. He has the mental capacity to figure out that what Mariku is doing to him and Bakura is ****_wrong_****, but he can't really figure anything out after that. He uses very basic, colloquial speech because of his sheltered upbringing, it's the easiest way for him to express his emotions. (Yeah, I did that on purpose. I usually put more effort in the way I write things, but here I just let it flow.) His speech will evolve as he gets older, not to mention the abuse he will suffer. **

**For Bakura. Kura's been kinda hard to write, but I think I did okay. Bakura is a very tough character, and because of what he's been through, he's a total loner. So I don't see him as being super friendly with Mariku, even if Mariku (and sometimes Akefia) is the only person he really comes into contact with. But I see him as feeling bad for Marik and the situation he's in, (Bakura went through it four years ago, but he had to do it alone) so while he's not really ****_friendly _****with Marik, he does attempt to make his captivity easier. Also he's developed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder during his time in the shed. We can see that in the way he keeps the shed clean and schedules his days out even though he really has no need to. Being forcefully taken from his family and kept locked up in a shed in some guy's backyard must have given him such a sense of helplessness, so exercising this small amount of control over his life is probably very comforting to him.**

**For Mariku...geeze, Mariku is a fucked up character. I think you'll all understand the 'I'm gonna rape and torture you, Bakura, because it makes me happy' part of him, but the fact that he has Marik and Bakura watch kid's movies and has bought Bakura all this stuff...well, I'm fairly certain he has Bipolar Disorder, if you can't tell. But also, I see a lot of it as a way Mariku is sexualizing their youth. He apparently has a thing for young boys, so being able to treat Marik and Bakura like kids I guess is a turn-on for him. Oh, Mariku, you are so fucked up...well, he did kidnap Bakura to use as a sex slave at age seven. Friggin ****_seven_****.**

**Random notes: Marik and Bakura are obsessed with the news. Well, yeah. They're completely cut off from the outside world. I'd be obsessed too.  
Bakura is Christian? Well, in the anime, Ryou runs into a church to escape Bakura in season 5. So he thinks being inside a consecrated building will keep him safe. This leads me to believe that Ryou was probably raised as a Christian. And in this story-spoilers!-Ryou and Bakura are brothers. So yeah, Bakura was raised in a Christian household. Religion isn't going to play a big part in this story, but I think the evolution of their faith does need to be mentioned here. I'm not going to apologize for offending anyone, because you know what. It's a ferking story. I'm not even Christian myself, so shmee.  
Also, I know that the ancient Egyptians were strictly polytheistic, but I know squat about their religion, so I borrowed the whole 'many gods, but really one' thing from Hinduism, which I know significantly more about.**

**Is this long A/N finally over? My fingers hurt...review and subscribe, please. I only got two reviews last time, but they were really good reviews, so I got a good feeling about this. I do get off school in two days for Thanksgiving, but I work pretty much 24/7 so I will only gain small amounts of free time.**

**-ChiChiChinchilla (my brothers have weird nicknames for me)**


	4. The Wake-Up Call

**I own a bed that I never get to sleep in, because I'm always bullshitting papers. I don't own YuGiOh. If I did, I would not have to write so many damn papers.**

* * *

**Monday, June 14, 2004**

**Unknown Time**

_Dear Rishid and Ishizu-_

_You think I'm dead, right? That's what the lady on the news said two days ago when they found the car Mariku stole me in. At the bottom of the river. They said that they could 'safely say with a reasonable amount of certainty' that I was dead._

_But I'm not dead. I just thought you should know._

_I saw the candlelight vigil my school put on for me. Everyone wore those light purple wristbands you had made for me, Ishizu. I think I remember what they say. __Bring Marik Home-Marik Ishtar 6/4/04__. I don't know why you put on the date of my kidnapping. It wasn't the end of the world, Ishizu. I'm still here. I'm still coming home. I just don't know when._

_I don't really know where I am. Mariku threw a blanket over me right after he stole me, so I couldn't see where he was driving me. It took a really long time to get there, so I think it's really far away. I didn't see the outside when he brought me in, but it's not a very big house. He has me and Bakura in a shed in his backyard. I looked out the window and I can see the back of his house, it's wooden and there aren't many windows. There's a pond in his backyard, and someone lives next door._

_I don't know when Mariku is going to let me go. He said he would, but Bakura's been here for four years and Mariku hasn't let him go. And he doesn't seem to have any plans to. So maybe he's planning on letting just me go, but I can't do that. I'm sorry, even if it means seeing you again, I can't leave Bakura here alone. If I leave, he has to come with me._

_I can't tell you why Mariku decided to steal me. It's the same reason he stole Bakura a couple years ago, but Bakura won't let him do anything to me. So he's really mad. He hasn't come in to see us in a couple days, which makes Bakura really upset._

_I can't tell you what Mariku does to Bakura, what he wants to do to me. I don't really understand myself, but Bakura says it's really dirty and wrong. I'm embarrassed and scared, guys. I want to go home. I want Bakura to go home. I just don't want us here anymore. I miss you guys, and I love you so much._

_-Marik_

I stop, and I want to cry. I want to keep writing, keep talking to my brother and sister. But I can't bring myself to write more about my life here, my life locked up in the shed. And I can't ask any more questions, only to sit there and wait for an answer. An answer that never comes, because my brother and sister don't know I'm asking them in the first place.

My stomach groans. I put my hand on it. Mariku didn't come in with the groceries yesterday, so I'm hungry. He didn't give us a whole lot of food before, just enough to really last a week. So we had eaten every bite by Sunday night, expecting him to come in with new stuff.

But he didn't. And Bakura sat at the kitchen table, staring at the television, even after the ten o'clock news was over with. He wouldn't go to bed, and he wouldn't let me go to bed either. He kept saying that it was Sunday, and Mariku _always _brought groceries on Sunday, so he must be coming. I got worried. What if Mariku got in an accident? We wouldn't have to deal with him ever again, but what would happen to us? We'd just stay in here, because we can't leave, until we got too hungry and we died.

When I asked Bakura he just said that Mariku made a deal with Akefia a couple years ago; if Mariku got hurt, Akefia would take care of Bakura. Or both of us, now. So someone should be coming in.

I thought maybe Mariku was angry about how Bakura had sex with him to keep him from having sex with me, and was letting us be hungry as punishment, but I didn't tell him.

Sometime after midnight, Bakura was still staring at the television, some adult TV show where the acting is really bad. I told him I was going to take a nap and he said that was fine, since it was free time. I took the warm blanket Bakura made and lied down on the couch and slept until Bakura woke me up, putting towels and balled up clothing in between the bars and the windows to cover up the sunlight leaking through. I asked him what he was doing, he said that the sun was going crazy and rising in the middle of the night, and he was blocking it so we could get some sleep after Mariku came in with the groceries. I just went back to sleep.

I don't know when I woke up again because Bakura had covered the windows and put tape over the alarm clock, so I couldn't check it. Bakura was still staring at the same channel, fingers twitching. I don't think he slept. I thought maybe if I crossed Sunday off the calendar it might help him realize that it was Monday, but he grabbed a knife and told me to leave the calendar alone. I sat down.

I thought Bakura could use something to do, so I looked around until I found a pair of chopsticks. I put them in the pencil sharpener and told Bakura I was going to teach him how to knit. He rolled his eyes but dug out an old sweater that wouldn't fit either of us and we unraveled it. I showed him the technique I've watched my sister use a million times, and he got the hang of it pretty well. He knitted a square, but unraveled it when it got to about the size of his hand. He keeps doing that, he's knitted the same square a couple times now. He's been doing this for a few hours, and I think he's even starting to calm down. A little bit ago I went and found a blank notebook and told Bakura I was going to use it. He said I could have it.

It felt really nice to write a letter to my brother and sister, even if I know they aren't going to read it. Just to get out what I've been wanting to say to them is like taking a huge weight off my chest.

I just really wish they were here so they could answer back. Rishid in particular. I want to ask him about this 'sex' stuff. Rishid explained the entire concept of sex to me about a year ago, so I understand what it is. But with Mariku and Bakura, it's between two guys, which doesn't make sense. Rishid told me that two girls or two boys could have sex, which seemed weird to me because I thought the whole point of it was to make babies, but whatever. He told me I'd understand when I was old enough to have sex.

Am I old enough now? I think Mariku wants to have sex with me, so I guess I am…but Bakura was seven when he started having sex with Mariku. I didn't even know about sex then. Who determines when you're ready to have sex? Do I? I don't feel ready. It looks like it hurts a lot. I don't want to do it. I don't think Bakura wants to either. Shouldn't we get to decide if we're going to have sex or not? Or is that Mariku's job, since he's the adult?

I don't know. I really wish Rishid was here to answer my questions.

The sound of a lock turning in the door makes both me and Bakura jump. Bakura gets up, and is over by the door in seconds.

"You're late." Bakura says angrily. He opens his mouth to say more, but Mariku rushes forward, pressing his large hand to Bakura's mouth. He drops the cup he was holding on the counter, shoving the door closed behind him with his foot.

"I thought I told you to always sit at the table when I open the door!" He says angrily. "You can't come near the door, and you certainly can't make any noise!"  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Bakura's voice wavers, like he's holding in tears. "I just thought that, since you can't see inside from the road, and-"

"Well you thought wrong!" Mariku pulls back and slaps Bakura hard across the face. Bakura falls to the floor. He then looks up at me. He smiles. "Hello, Marik. I'll be with you in just a moment."

I'm frozen. I want him to stay away from me. But I also want him to leave Bakura alone.

Mariku pulls Bakura up by the hair. "You little shit, you're damn lucky Marik's here and he likes you. Or else I'd beat your ass so hard you'd be stuck in bed for a week."

Bakura doesn't say anything. Mariku shoves him towards the table. He trips, bracing his fall with his hands. Mariku quickly grabs him by the back of his neck, pointing him to his chair.

"Sit." He commands before pushing Bakura onto the chair. Bakura sits, just like Mariku asked him. Mariku wanders over, reaching into his pocket and pulling something silver out.

"No, Mariku please." Bakura's eyes widen. "Please, I-"

"Hands in back." Marik grunts. Bakura complies, still pleading. Mariku opens one of the handcuffs, clapping it around one of Bakura's wrists and threading it through the back of the chair before cuffing Bakura's other wrist.

"I'll do anything, seriously, absolutely anything you want to do to me. Please, I just….Mariku, let him go!"

The slap cut through the air. I stayed silent. So did Bakura. Mariku fumed before beginning to yell.

"Let him go?! You think after all the work I did, all the time and money I spent getting him here, that I'm just going to _let him go_?!" His fingers through Bakura's hair again. He pulls, hard. "Well let me tell you, you worthless son of a bitch, I am not about to let him go, or you go. And I'm not letting you interrupt us anymore."

With that, Mariku turned around, smiling when he saw Marik. "Sorry about your roommate, Marik. He's not behaving properly."

He walks over, sitting on the bed with me. I'm immediately uncomfortable. I don't want him on the bed with me.

"I got you another milkshake." He whispers. "Strawberry, this time. I heard that was your favorite kind."

He looks at me like he's expecting a response, so I nod. His fingers find the hem of my shirt. "You can have the milkshake after we're done. And you won't even have to share with Bakura this time."

I'm shaking. I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this.

The same paralyzed feeling I've been feeling all week, every time I'm with Mariku, returns full-force. I can't do anything to fight him as he removes my shirt, my pants. Nothing.

He lays me down on my back and gets on top of me. His hands go to his own pants, pulling them down quickly. He grins at me as he removes his shirt.

"You're gonna enjoy this, Marik. Don't be scared."

He lifts up my legs and positions himself between them. I stare up at him hopefully, and for a second, I actually believe him.

Then he shoves into me without warning.

The pain is immediate, and it's like nothing else I've ever felt before. It's like this constant burn in my rear, this screaming fire as my muscles are forced to expand. It hurts. I don't enjoy it at all. Not one little bit.

Him entering me seems to pop the bubble I've been living inside for a week and a half now. Before, my entire situation seemed like a bad dream. Foggy and unreal, over in the morning. Now it finally hits me. I've been kidnapped. I am locked up in a stranger's shed. Just so he can do this to me. I'm not getting out. The dreamlike state I was in evaporates, the protection I've felt around me dissolves. _Pop._

And then he's moving, his thing going in and out of me, and NO. I'm not here. I'm at home, warm in my bed, or maybe Ishizu's or Rishid's bed. Yeah, Rishid's bed, since he had really good covers. He says I can sleep with him because I've been having nightmares, it doesn't matter how old I am. I'm not here, this isn't happening, and ithurtsithurtsithurts…

And it's done. He pulls out. He stands up, pulling his pants back on. He smiles.

"I'll bring the groceries in tomorrow morning, boys."

He takes the handcuffs off Bakura and leaves, the click of the lock echoing across the shed.

Bakura comes over. I think he tries to dress me as I'm lying there. I somehow got my pajama's back on.

The fog that has seemed to see over me the past couple days has cleared up, the filthy window where you could hardly make out what was on the other side replaced with shiny, clear glass.

It's all crystal clear. Where I was. And for what purpose.

Bakura climbs into bed with me. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me close. I bury my face in his chest, and together we drift off into sleep.

Milkshake forgotten.

* * *

**I know this chapter is short compared to the last one. I've worked pretty much constantly over the past couple days, so I have had little time to do...well, anything. Seriously, I have to be up in...four and half hours to go to a building where I will sit and stare and accomplish nothing, and I have two papers due. Yeah, not happening. I could care less about how abortion relates to the 7 Teachings of the Catholic Church anyway. **

**Are we okay with Marik here? He's starting to piece together what's happening to him, so his personality is evolving. I was a little stumped on how crazy I should actually make Marik, seeing how he doesn't have a crazy alter ego like in the show. But Marik was definitely pretty disturbed even before his Yami showed up, so rest assured, he will be fairly fucked up at some point in this fic.**

**Bakura, Bakura. I stressed over his OCD in this chapter, trying to decide if it was realistic. While I do have OCD myself, it's a very minor form, and doesn't affect the same areas I'd imagine it affect for Bakura. Bakura's OCD materializes in his obsession with his schedule; being able to control what he does on any given day helps him cope with being locked up. He knows Mariku always brings him food on Sundays, and when he neglects to do so he is reminded of his true powerlessness in his situation, his absolute helplessness. So he goes to extreme lengths (denying the rising of the sun) to convince himself that this is not the case.**

**Alright, I'm exhausted, and I still have homework, so au revoir. Please review, they make Kameko happy.**

**-Chihiro**


	5. Meeting Akefia

**I own a metal skirt I get to dance in. It's EFFing awesome. I don't own Yugioh.**

**Alright, I already typed up all this AND my closing A/N, then I went to go shut down FireFox, (I'm on Chrome) and my computer decides to close down every window EXCEPT FireFox. What the...I don't even know. So now I will painfully re-type both my A/N's.**

**Huge thanks to all my reviewers, sorry I wasn't able to respond to any reviews I got for the last chapter. I had SO much show choir stuff it's unbelievable. **

**But I do have to say something about September Bloom's review. You were drawn in because there were seven reviews for three chapters? Dude, I knew Yugioh fans were stingy with their reviews, but I underestimated just how much. I'm writing a Danny Phantom fanfic (Because shut up.) that has four chapters and the same word count as this (now less with the inclusion of this chapter) and I have 52 reviews for it. Granted, the VAST majority of them are one or two liners and don't give me much (or anything) in the way of feedback. So this is why I like writing for this fandom so much better, since you guys are EXCELLENT about giving me real feedback.**

**Alright, let's focus on our captives now, shall we? 'saves the document five times in succession'**

* * *

**Tuesday****, June 15, 2004**

**Morning**

For the first time in a week and a half, I don't wake up to the sound of Bakura's alarm clock going off. I hear the door opening, and I'm awake.

I'm awake. Oh gods, I'm awake…

"Good morning, boys!"

Loud footsteps echo across the floor, something in a paper bag hitting the floor. The bed creaks, and Bakura is gone from the other side.

"Marik didn't drink his milkshake…" Mariku sounds almost sad.

Bakura coughs. "He wasn't feeling very well after you left last night. Maybe if he had gotten something to eat yesterday…"

"Well, you should have thought about that before you decided to act like a psycho little slut." Mariku snaps suddenly. "Now get over here and unpack the food I got for you guys before I beat your ass."

I hear Bakura's footsteps as he walks across the floor, refrigerator door opening as he puts things away. Someone sits down on the bed. I squeeze my eyes shut.

_Please don't touch me, please don't touch me…_

His hand on my forehead. I want to scream. I try to stay still.

"Feels a bit warm…poor kid…" He laughs a bit under his breath, like he doesn't really mean it.

His weight is suddenly gone from the bed. He walks across the room, where Bakura is still putting away food. Then Bakura makes a weird noise, all muffled and swallowed up. I get scared, is Mariku choking Bakura? I open my eyes just a little bit.

Mariku's arms are around Bakura's tiny waist, Bakura's hands on Mariku's shoulders, mouths pressed together. Mariku is leaning down, and Bakura back is bent backwards. I shut my eyes.

I can avoid seeing it, but I have to hear the hungry noises Mariku makes. Finally, they stop.

"It's been a long time since I've loved you properly…" Mariku says, his voice taking on a silky quality I've only heard him use with me. Bakura stammers a bit when he answers.

"T-that's fine, it doesn't matter much to me…"

"I know it hasn't been pleasant for you in the past few years, but now that your body is…changing…" Bakura sucks in a deep breath. "…I promise you, it'll become very enjoyable. If you're really good about it, I might even consider moving you into the spare room. Unlocked. I know you miss the privileges you had before."

"What about Marik?"

Mariku steps away. "He'd stay in here."

"Alone?"

"For now. Until I can trust him. I know you won't try to run away, which is why I kept the door unlocked and let you walk around the property before Marik got here."

He kept the door unlocked for Bakura? Why, why, why wouldn't he try to leave?!

"I don't want Marik to be alone."

"Fine then. Suit yourself." Mariku sounds angry now. There's a creak and a rustle, then I'm pretty sure he sits. The sound of a zipper follows.

"On your knees."

I don't want to hear it, Mariku's moans and the gagging noises Bakura makes. I think about my brother and sister. What are they doing today? It's a Tuesday, but it's summer, so Ishizu will be out of school. Rishid is always up at this time, since he works at ten. Ishizu usually gets up pretty early, so she's probably making breakfast for Rishid and Father. Or has their schedule changed since I was kidnapped? Are they looking for me? Did they make flyers, put them up all around town like they do in the movies?

I'm not in a movie, though. This is real life. My life. I wish it wasn't. I want to go home. I want to sit at the table and eat breakfast with my brother and sister, go outside and run around. I miss outside, I miss Rishid and Ishizu, I miss my room, my bed, my own clothes, I even miss Father. I don't want to be here. I want to go home.

Mariku lets out a gasp, and Bakura sputters. I'm back.

"Swallow it all, bitch." Mariku says harshly. A pause, then Bakura is gasping for air.

"Good. Now, I have plans with Akefia tonight, so I won't be back until late. But I want him to meet Marik, so wait up for us."

"Okay." Bakura sounds small. Then there's footsteps. More muffled noises.

"Blech. Go brush your teeth. You taste terrible."

Bakura's footsteps echo across the shed as he pads to the bathroom. The sink turns on right as the door closes behind Mariku.

When Bakura comes back out, I pretend I'm still sleeping.

* * *

**Tuesday, June 15, 2004**

**Midday**

Bakura lets me sleep for a really long time, even though it's a school day. He sits at the kitchen table by himself and scratches away in his notebook, flips through the pages of his textbooks. He probably figures out that I'm awake, but he doesn't say anything. I think it's nice for him to have some time alone for once.

When I finally do drag myself out of bed, it's nearly noon. Bakura doesn't look up as I get to my feet and drag myself over to the bathroom. My stomach hurts terribly from not eating, but I resist the temptation to run over to the refrigerator and scarf down the first thing I see.

I peel off my sweaty clothes and step into the shower. Some gross stuff from Mariku has run down my leg, and I scrub the skin until it's red. It feels so good to get clean.

When I'm dressed, I go back out into the main room. Bakura is still at the kitchen table. Neither of us have eaten since Sunday night. I tell Bakura I'm going to make lunch. He nods.

Mariku didn't give us nearly as much as he did last time. I make one peanut butter and banana sandwich for each of us, even though I'm starving. I sit down and give Bakura his plate. He takes it without saying anything.

I watch Bakura as I eat, careful not to spill on the books. He's working on equations, and I pay close attention because I know my class is going to start on them in the fall. I should be back home by then, shouldn't I? I'll learn equations ahead of time, so I'll know what to do when we get to that unit, and I can help everyone else. I know Joey has a hard time with math…

"Do you know how to do these?"

I blink. Bakura's looking straight at me. "What?"

He huffs, looking annoyed. "These. Equations. Have you learned how to do them yet?"

"Um, no." I say, feeling my cheeks redden. "That's why I was watching you."

"Well, I don't get this, so that's not going to work out well for you." He mutters, pushing his hair back with one hand as he returns his attention to his paper. I fidget.

"Bakura?"

"Hmm?"

My fingers find the paper towel I'd been using as a napkin. "Why do you keep doing this school stuff?" That's not what I wanted to ask.

He puts the paper down. "What do you mean?"

"Well, didn't say he used to let you out of the shed? He kept the door unlocked?"

Bakura plays with his pencil, not looking at me. "Yeah. At least during the day. He'd keep this door-" He points to the outside door. "-unlocked until it got dark. And he left the back door of his house unlocked sometimes too, so I could go in there. He trusted me."

"Why-" I clear my throat. Bakura doesn't wait for me to finish.

"Why did he let me? He knew I was bored. Plus he has a fence, and there's this really tall hedge all around it." He gestures. "Except for the part over by the pond, since you really can't get through there without falling into the pond. Plus there's just a lot of trees and Akefia's house over there, so no one would be able to see me."

"I know, but why didn't you…" I trail off. How many opportunities did Bakura have? He could have scaled the fence, obviously. Even if Mariku saw him, Bakura was probably faster than him…and even if not, he had access to the inside of Mariku's house. Phones. Computers. A window that looks out onto a street, anything! Bakura could have escaped…

"Why did you stay?" I blurt out. "I mean, you could go home! You could leave! Why, why wouldn't you…"

Bakura doesn't answer. He grips his pencil so hard his knuckles turn white, whiter than normal, at least. He stares off in the distance.

"Bakura?"

He doesn't act like he heard me. Finally, he bits his lip. "Mariku needs me."

I look down. "How?"

"Marik, do you think it's fucking normal for adults like him to have sex with kids? People our age?" He looks at me finally. He has a really mad expression on his face, but his brown eyes are sad. "Mariku has a problem with sex. He needs help with it, that's why we're here. And I…well, I had no one to go back to. He took care of me. I don't need to leave."

He looks down in his lap. For some reason I think he's crying, but it's hard to think Bakura is crying. He's practically invincible.

"What about your parents?" I ask. Bakura picks his pencil and presses it back to the page. "Did you have any brothers or sisters? What ha-"

"We're done talking about this." He says coolly. His eyes are hard.

"But what about-"

"We're done!" He yells, and it makes me jump out of my chair. "That's it! Don't ask me about any of it again! The lives we had before are gone, Marik! Get over it!"

My knees are shaking and tears threaten to spill over my eyes. I get up from the table and turn my back on Bakura, still working on his equations.

I go to the chest of drawers and open the one that's 'mine.' We put a few of Bakura's pants and shirts in there, since I still haven't gotten my own yet, and I put the gold armband I was kidnapped in and my journal in here. I quickly grab it and the pen and run to the bathroom, so I don't have to look at Bakura anymore.

When the door closes, I sink to my feet and burst into tears. I don't like to cry, Father says it's weak, but I can't help it.

I thought Bakura was my friend here.

I wrap my arms around my legs, trying to muffle the sobs that come up from my throat. Even though I'm mad at Bakura, I don't want him to hear.

I feel like I cry for a really long time, but it probably wasn't that long. Soon I am tired, my nose is snotty and my eyes are puffy.

I'm really frustrated with Bakura, but it won't help us to be mad at him. I pick up my journal and write another letter to my brother and sister.

_Dear Rishid and Ishizu-_

_Bakura's been really mean to me today. He yelled at me and told me to forget about you guys. I'm really mad at him, but I don't want us to fight, since we're kinda stuck with each other. I just can't believe he said that! You guys know I'll never, ever forget about you, right? And soon I'll be back home, so we won't have to worry about that anymore._

_I don't know where Bakura will go once we get out of here. He told me he doesn't have a family, but that's stupid. Everyone has a family. Bakura has to. He just doesn't want to go back to them, and he won't tell me why._

_Maybe it's because of Mariku. Maybe he feels dirty now. I feel dirty, and he's only done that to me once…I can't tell you what it is, because it's super disgusting. Bakura says Mariku has a problem and that we help him with it, but I don't know why we have to help. Shouldn't he take care of his own problem?_

_It hurt, guys. It hurt, and it was really gross and I didn't like it, even though Mariku told me it would. I don't want to do it again, or any of the other stuff Mariku makes Bakura do. I'm scared and I want to go home. I know you guys are having a hard time finding me, but can you please find me soon?_

_-Marik_

* * *

**Wednesday, June 16, 2004**

**Early, Early Morning**

I rub my eyes, trying to stay awake. Across the table from me, Bakura is doing the same. I can tell it's driving him nuts to be up later than normal, especially when there's really not a reason to be.

We still have hardly spoken since our fight this morning. When I was done writing my letter to my siblings, and finished another bout of crying, I came back out and immediately started working on my math problems. Bakura gave up when he was done with school at two and took a nap on the couch, then pulled out a book and read for the rest of the night.

It's made me really sad all day. Usually I can talk to Bakura, but without him…

I'm all alone.

_Click._

Both Bakura and I stiffen. I've begun to hate that sound now. Every click of the lock means Mariku is coming in, into our sanctuary. Locking us in hell. I feel like even if I do get out of here, every sound a lock makes is going to remind me of Mariku. For the rest of my life.

"Hey, boys!"

Mariku stumbles in, a brown paper bag in his hand. He looks around lazily, his dark purple eyes unfocused. He smiles when he sees me.

"Here's my new one, Akefia!" He comes over, dropping the bag. He gets behind me and pulls back my hair, gesturing to me like I'm some huge trophy.

The man standing in front of me has dark skin and purplish eyes just like Mariku, but that's where the similarities end. Akefia is tall and strong; Mariku is large and muscular. Akefia also has white hair, which I think is weird because only Bakura has that shade of hair.

"Wow. He's definitely a beauty, Mariku." Akefia comes forward, touching my face. I instantly recoil. I don't want him to touch me. But then I'm afraid; what will Mariku do? Is he planning on letting Akefia touch me, do those strange things to me that he did last night? What will he say when I avoid him?

Thankfully, they both just laugh. "He's a shy one, Marik." Mariku says. He gestures at the bag. "Go on, Marik. Go look at your presents. Bakura! Get your ass over here!"

Bakura bounds over, and Akefia immediately slips his hand around his shoulders, drawing him close and he continues to talk to Mariku. I step away quickly, going to the bag.

New clothes! Or at least new to me, since they all have tags from the local second-hand clothing store. There are two books along with the clothes; a book about King Henry VIII, and a fiction book, _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone._ I smile. I've been trying to read some of the books Mariku has bought Bakura, but most are too difficult for me to understand.

"Do you like your presents, Marik?"

I stand up, smile evaporating as I turn to face Mariku's grinning face. I nod.

"Well you're a rude little thing." Akefia sneers, his hand dipping lower on Bakura's back. Bakura tries to look impassive. "Mariku got you presents. Thank him."

"Th-thank you." I get out, my face turning red. I look at the ground.

"It speaks! I'm impressed. You train your pets well." Akefia nods at Mariku, kneading circles into the small of Bakura's back. Mariku looks unamused.

"Marik, you're going to see Akefia around a lot. He lives right next door, and I've known him a very long time."

"And Bakura." Akefia interjects. "I've known Bakura since he was a baby. I'm his uncle, you know. My older half-sister was his mommy."

I keep my mouth closed and don't say anything.

"Well, it's getting late." Akefia takes his hands off Bakura for a moment, stretching. Bakura looks relieved. "I'll be back later. Good night!" He bends down, lips grazing Bakura's ear. Bakura stiffens, but doesn't react.

"It's about time you two got to bed as well." Mariku reminds us. We nod.

"Yep." Bakura says quickly. "We'll just put Marik's new stuff away, then it's straight to bed."

"That's my boys." Mariku winks at us, before walking out the door and shutting it behind him, locking us in once again.

* * *

**I get nervous about the way Mariku is portrayed, simply because he's really nothing like his original character. But then, if he _was _exactly like himself in the show, he would have tortured both Marik and Bakura to death hours after kidnapping them. And then there wouldn't be a story.**

**So I think of him as having bipolar disorder. That incredibly violent, sadistic side of him is still very much present, (we'll explore that real soon) but he also has a fairly 'normal' side, where we can see his obvious affection for the two boys.**

**Bakura, he's developed Stockholm Syndrome. He obviously hates living with Mariku and wants to go home, but has had to fool himself into thinking he _wants _to stay and help Mariku with his 'problem' to survive.**

**Have people noticed Marik's evolving thought process? He sounds a bit older. I know his speech would probably remain the same, but wah. Also, if you've been really analyzing Marik throughout the story, in previous chapters Marik refused to say he had been kidnapped. He only used that word when directly quoting the television or whatnot. He referred to it as 'being stolen,' as that word choice doesn't carry as much significance for him. After he is raped, he develops a higher understanding of his situation, (even though he's still hopelessly confused) and comes to terms with a few things regarding his abduction.**

**Has anyone read, _a stolen life_, by Jaycee Lee Dugard? I stole a bit from that book, but it's mainly been my reference when trying to figure out Marik and Bakura's feelings towards the entire incident. Also, I enjoy _Room_, by Emma Donoghue. If you haven't read either, you should. They're fantastic.**

**Alright, my lovely readers, I need your help! I have a lot of events planned for this story. I've got a lot mapped out. However, there is a long stretch of time where nothing really happens. I don't want this. I want things to happen continuously throughout the story. I don't want many dull/filler chapters. This is where you guys come in. Give me your ideas, any ideas, and I'll see if I can work it in. No rush, I won't need to use them for another couple of chapters or so.**

**Also, Marik's father. I have no bloody idea what to make of that man. I don't know how he'd react to this entire business, so any suggestions, pass 'em along! **

**Thank you all for being awesome, I promise the next chapter won't be as boring as this one! Please leave a nice review with your thoughts/suggestions, I do appreciate them!**

**-Chi**


	6. Missing

**I own an insane amount of books, yet have nothing to read. I don't own YuGiOh.**

* * *

**Sunday, July 4, 2004**

**Late Afternoon**

One month.

One month ago today, I was stunned, dragged into a car, tied up, and brought here. To this house. And into this backyard shed that has been my prison for the past thirty days.

It's strange. It doesn't feel like that long, but it's hard to imagine my life without Mariku, Akefia, and Bakura. Of course, they've been my _entire _life since I was abducted. I haven't spoke to anyone else since.

Bakura tries to make cookies to make me feel better, but he doesn't really know how to make them from scratch, so they end up chocolate chip-studded hockey pucks. We eat the leftover cookie dough, which still tastes pretty good, and move the kitchen table and chair onto the bed so we can play games with our hockey puck cookies.

It's gotten super hot in the shed, so Mariku has brought in a giant fan to keep us cool. It doesn't work very well, but it's better than nothing. He says he'll look into installing an air conditioner, since I'm here and we create twice the body heat now. Bakura spent an entire school day explaining to me how heat energy works and how it's all getting trapped in the shed, since the door hardly ever opens and we can't open any windows. We try not to move around a lot and use the oven as little as possible to keep it cool. Being cold seems really foreign, but Bakura says we'll have the opposite problem in the winter.

Mariku has made me have sex with him five times since he kidnapped me. It's quick, though, and it doesn't hurt as much as the first time did. He uses his fingers to stretch me out first, so when it's time for the actual sex, it only hurts a little bit. Every time he wants to have sex, I close my eyes and think about my brother and sister. If I'm with them, nothing can hurt me. They won't let me get hurt. They love me. They tell me so, and they mean it in a good way; not the weird and creepy way when Mariku says it to Bakura.

Mariku usually goes for Bakura when he comes in for sex. It makes me feel really bad for my friend, but I'm also kinda glad it's Bakura and not me. Mariku's usually not as nice to him. He's tied him to the bed several times, even though Bakura's not trying to get away. He slaps him and chokes him and holds his hand over Bakura's mouth and nose until he nearly passes out. One night Mariku brought in this plastic bag filled with clothespins and put them on Bakura's nipples, all around his stomach, and up and down his arms and legs, then tore them off individually. They left bright red marks all over his body, and he made these little whimpering noises the entire time. I hate watching Mariku do this to Bakura, but I feel like I have to. What if Mariku gets too rough, hurts him too badly, squeezes his throat just a bit too long? Who will stop him?

I have to protect Bakura, and this is the only way I know how.

Even with everything that's going on with Bakura, my big problem is that I'm…bored. Even with everything Mariku's provided us to entertain ourselves with, there's just nothing to do. I have nothing to really work for, so my days just kinda slide by, me just trying to pass the time. Until what? What am I waiting for?

Bakura is making eggs. He's trying to make them super fast, so the stove doesn't make the shed hotter. We've eaten all our cold food this week, but Mariku will bring more food for us tonight. He's been really good about bringing our food every Sunday now. Bakura doesn't have any freak-outs anymore.

We eat in near silence. The eggs aren't nearly enough for dinner, but they're all we have. Mariku doesn't bring in a whole lot, and lately I've started to notice my ribcage pressing up against my skin. It kinda scares me that I'm already getting skinnier when I really haven't been at Mariku's that long. Have I gotten taller too? Is my body going to keep changing? I don't want it to. I want to stay the same, so when I finally get out I can just pretend this never happened.

Bakura and I wash our dishes in the sink when we're done. He goes and lays down on the couch, wiping the sweat out of his eyes. I lay on the bed. It's so, so hot.

Suddenly, the door swings open. I jump. Mariku strides in, smiling.

"Hey, boys! Happy Fourth of July!"

I'm confused at first, but then I remember. It's the Fourth of July, Independence Day. I completely forgot. I don't think it's a big deal to me or Bakura, since neither of us were born in America.

Mariku sits at the table, still smiling. "You guys want to watch the fireworks, right?"

Bakura sits up, eyebrows raised. "You'll let us do that this year?"

"Well, of course!" Mariku laughs, like it was obvious. "You two have behaved so nicely lately. You both deserve a treat."

I perk up. Fireworks? I love fireworks, but right now, I could care less about the actual show. All I can think about is that fireworks happen _outside_, in giant parks filled with people…

"We live close enough to the park to see the fireworks, Marik. Ask Bakura, I let him out every year and he has a great view."

Disappointment flows through me, but then I remind myself that it's okay. I may not be able to escape, but we'll still be going outside. With grass and trees and the sky and everything.

I smile.

"It'll be fun, Marik." Bakura walks over to me. "Seriously, I look forward to this every year."

Mariku stands up, pulling something shiny from his back pocket. I immediately start to panic. He said we were just going outside, right? Just going outside to see the fireworks? "Sorry, boys. I'm going to have to handcuff you two together. I can't have Marik trying to run off." He eyeballs me, and I fidget. I wasn't going to try to run. Not now, anyway. "It's only temporary. Show me good behavior and I'll let you out sometime without the handcuffs."

I don't like this, but I nod and hold out my wrist. There are worse things he could make me do.

Mariku clamps the cuffs around both my and Bakura's wrists, tugging on the chain connecting them a few times to make sure we can't get free. Satisfied, he turns back to the door. "Ready?" He asks us from over his shoulder.

I nod. Outside, outside, outside.

He opens the door. The smell of flowers and pine trees reach my nose, and I try not to laugh. Fresh air! Sun! Grass!

I want to jump for joy when the first blades of grass hit my bare feet. I inhale deeply, a wide grin spreading across my face. Outside!

I open my eyes. Bakura was right about the hedge. It's super tall, and I can't see through it. There's a small white picket fence on the inside of the hedge, something sparkling on the tops. I try to see what it is, but the sunlight isn't hitting it at that angle anymore and I can't see.

Bakura tugs at my arm, and we walk over to the pond. Akefia is there, sitting in a plastic lawn chair. There's a second chair set up next to him, and a red blanket is spread out on the ground for us. Akefia smiles. "Hey, boys. Excited to see the fireworks?"

I nod quickly and look away. I didn't like Akefia when I first met him, but I like him even less now. He comes in to see us a lot, and every time he touches Bakura way more than necessary. Mariku doesn't seem to mind, but Bakura is really uncomfortable, I can tell. Also I don't like how Akefia knows Bakura was stolen but doesn't do anything to help him, even though his sister is Bakura's mom. Wouldn't he tell her what happened to him?

Bakura and I sit at the edge of the pond, dangling our feet in the water. Mariku gives us bombpops and we suck on them for a while. Bakura makes fun of me because I suck out all the flavoring before eating the ice, I just tell him he's a pig because he eats everything in one big bite.

After a while Mariku asks if we want hot dogs, and Bakura says yes. Mariku has really been pushing me to eat meat lately, but I really don't want to. I've never had meat before, and I don't want that ruined by this man.

It doesn't take a very long time for the sun to go down. Mariku and Akefia sit in their lawn chairs and eat hotdogs, laughing, and Bakura eats a few himself. I eat some buns, and it all balances out because apparently Bakura doesn't find anything gross about eating plain hotdogs without the bun.

Bakura and I are lying side-by-side on the blanket as the first rocket launches itself into the sky. It explodes with a _CRACK _that echoes all around us. Red sparkles stream down, fizzing into green before disappearing.

I grin. I've always loved firework displays. Rishid always thought pyrotechnics were really cool, and he took me to firework shows whenever he knew where one was. Of course, this was in Egypt, so the fireworks were much smaller and less fancy than these.

A bright yellow firework explodes in the sky, trailing down to create a spidery effect. I wonder if Rishid is watching the fireworks tonight. He loves them, so he probably just took Ishizu. Which one did they go to? Am I close enough to home to be watching the same firework show? Are my brother and sister watching this same golden explosion right now?  
Suddenly, I want to cry. My throat becomes thick and tears well up in the back of my eyes. I want to see them so badly it hurts. It's been a month of this, being here, but it's also been a month of them not knowing where I am. What's been happening to me. If I'm even alive or not.

A touch on my handcuffed hand. I turn my head. Bakura is grinning, his face illuminated by the sparkling blue rocket that has just exploded in the sky. He grabs my hand in his, threading our fingers together. I instantly feel better. I know he's no substitute for my brother and sister, but I can't help but feel happy Bakura is in my life. Smiling back at my friend, we turn our heads back to the sky, where the blue firework turns purple for a moment before wizzing through the air, circling around once before fizzing out.

* * *

**Friday, July 9, 2004**

**Morning**

The door slamming open wakes me up.

"Get up, you lazy asses." Akefia grins at us from the doorway. I rub my eyes, thinking about how this doesn't make sense. Why is Akefia here? Where's Mariku? And why is he here so early?

Bakura swings his legs out, standing up. "Where's Mariku?"

Akefia's grin widens, and he takes out a coin from his pocket. He turns it over in his hands, flipping it a few times. "Oh, he got himself into a spot of trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Bakura asks warily, gripping the back of one of the chairs. He's starting to panic. I get out of bed too, and I wrap my arms around his shoulders, burying my face in between his shoulder blades. He only acknowledges me with a quick touch on my hand, but he instantly relaxes.

Akefia snorts. "I knew it. I told Mariku that you guys would become faggots, I just thought your testicles would drop first."

What? I don't understand this joke.

"Anyway, to answer your pert little question, Bakura, Mariku had a bit of weed on him and got pulled over last night, and that's all parole violation. So he's gonna spend about a month in the slammer."

Most of what Akefia just said goes straight through my head, my brain picking up none of it. I don't wonder about Mariku's parole, or why he was put in prison in the first place, or why the police officer was so upset about Mariku having weeds in his car. All I can think about is NO SEX for at least a month!

No sex for me, but also none for Bakura. No standing around and watching as Mariku hits Bakura, watching Bakura squeeze his eyes shut and try not to cry as Mariku fucks him hard and calls him a dirty whore.

But Bakura starts to shake. Akefia watches in amusement as he grits his jaw, balling his hands into fists as he looks down at the ground.

"Don't be so depressed. Here, I got you guys some breakfast." He produces a small paper bag from McDonald's, tossing it onto the table. Neither of us make a move for it. "See, I won't starve you two like Mariku does."

Bakura still doesn't move. I put my hands on his shoulders and guide him over to the table, gently pushing him down onto a chair. I walk over to the refrigerator to get some juice.

I've barely gotten the door open when a dark hand slams on it. The door bangs shut, a bottle on the inside crashing to the bottom. Akefia smirks at me. I instinctively back up.

"You don't say much, Marik." His face gets closer to mine. I'm trapped between Akefia and the counter. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were dumb."

I'm not dumb. I'm not. I've been going to school with Bakura for the past month, so I'm a lot smarter than before. And I say things. I talk. I just usually only talk to Bakura. I don't really have anything to say to anyone else.

"Leave him alone, Akefia." Bakura says from the table. Akefia stands there and glares at him for a moment before walking over to him.

"Hmm, Mariku was right…you really are a jealous whore." Akefia stands there and stares down at my friend before reaching out and grabbing Bakura's privates through his sweatpants. Bakura bites his lip, but doesn't make a sound. Akefia begins to massage it through the fabric, his other hand trailing up under his shirt.

"You want all of this to yourself, don't you?" Akefia says as his fingers reach Bakura's nipple. Bakura gives a harsh gasp, and Akefia smiles. "I knew you liked it."

I'm practically shaking, I'm still so scared, but I stand up straight. "Stop it." I say.

Akefia does stop, looking over at me with a confused expression on his face. Then he laughs. "It speaks! It lives!"

Akefia continues to laugh as he pushes Bakura's shirt up. His lips immediately latch onto one of Bakura's nipples, beginning to suck without a moment's hesitation. Bakura gasps.

"See, I'll make you feel good about it…" Akefia mumbles as he comes up for air. "Mariku thinks you won't be able to feel good about it until you're older, but that's bullshit, right? Right."

My feet are moving. "Akefia, stop."

I don't think he notices I said anything. He slides his hand up to Bakura's other nipple, rubbing it with his palm. Bakura's face is a mess of pain, confusion, and unshed tears. I bring my hands up. "I said stop!"

He wasn't expecting me to push him, I think that's the only reason I was able to get him off Bakura.

Akefia swears and stumbles backwards, wiping his mouth with his hand. I pull on Bakura's arm and he gets up with me. I back up, staying in front of Bakura.

"You little shit…" Akefia stands up, looking angry. I start shaking, but I remain standing. I can't let him hurt Bakura. Bakura's already done too much for me. I have to protect him now.

'Please leave us alone." I find my words. I'm terrified, but I can't back down. No.

Akefia looks even madder. He walks forward, eyes boring into me. "You've got nerve. If Mariku didn't like fucking you so much, I would kill you right here."

I can't even open my mouth to talk, I'm so scared. But I have to stay standing. Have to stand in between Akefia and Bakura. I owe Bakura this much.

Bakura steps forward, pushing me out of the way. "Shut up, Marik." He glances at me once, quick. His eyes are blank. "I can handle myself."

"Smart boy." Akefia grins as Bakura walks back over to him. Akefia wraps an arm around his waist, leading him back to our bed. He turns over his shoulder and calls back to me, still smirking. "I won't be here long, Marik. Sit down and enjoy your breakfast."

I do sit, even though I really don't want to be in the room. I open the bag. Akefia got us a lot of food. I take out a hashbrown.

The TV flicks on and I turn up the volume to try and drown out the sounds of creaking bedsprings, the banging headboard, Akefia's moans, and Bakura's pained gasps. I try to drown out everything that is happening inside this shed. And I try to drown out all the broken glass thoughts scrambling around my brain. The TV just doesn't get loud enough.

* * *

**Sunday, July 11, 2004**

**Evening**

_Dear Rishid and Ishizu-_

_Are you forgetting about me? I know it's been a while since Mariku took me, so I don't really blame you guys if you're starting to forget about me. _

_I haven't forgotten about you guys, though. I think about you all the time. I really don't have a lot of other things to do. I've read the same Harry Potter book at least five times now. I'm so bored all the time. I really want to be allowed outside, but Mariku won't let me because he's afraid I'll try to run away. _

_Mariku's gone right now, actually. He got caught with weeds in his car and he has to spend a month in jail. Akefia is taking care of us. He brings us a lot of food, so I like that, but he still wants to do things to Bakura. I can't help Bakura right now, and it makes me mad._

_Bakura is freaking out at everything now. Akefia comes in whenever he wants and completely disrupts our schedule. He yells at Akefia, even though he knows Akefia will beat him for it. He's gotten really twitchy lately, he doesn't sleep much and he can't stay still. He won't draw anything. Whenever we're not trying to learn he's watching TV, which is weird because he usually only watches it when we're doing something else at the same thing or when the news is on._

_I taught him how to knit. I don't know if he likes it, but something he'll pick it up when he watches TV and start knitting. It relaxes him, so I'm glad. I get kinda scared for Bakura when he's like this. I think he should be taking medicine, but he won't get any living with Mariku._

_I still can't tell you why Mariku kidnapped us. Maybe someday when I'm not so embarrassed I can tell you. Mariku told me the embarrassed feelings I have will go away. I don't know if I believe him or not. I'll have to wait and see. _

_I'm still waiting for you guys to find me. Are you still looking? It's okay if you're not, I know I've been gone a long time. But I really hope you are. I want to see you guys again. I really just want to go home._

_-Marik_

* * *

**So everyone wanted more Akefia...here's more Akefia. The next chapter will probably have quite a bit of him as well.**

**Anyone here have any objection to geminishipping? Well, too bad, because it's happening. TheeWiccaChick** **and I are now bound by our fondness for geminishipping and sunglasses. You're kinda awesome, by the way. **

**Possible citronshipping? Maybe. I like citronshipping, but only because it's basically thiefshipping with Bakura in a manlier body. So not here.**

**This chapter is short. I apologize. I have a hell day tomorrow so I wanted to get this chapter up and come home to a buttload of reviews. (Pretty please?) I will be happier if Gmail will allow me to change my density settings. My OCD will not allow me to use the Compact setting.**

**Does anyone have any more ideas? I got a few from what people have said, but others would be great. Anything you can think of, really. Tell me!**

**I'm gonna try to get these things out on the weekends. If I fail, sorry. **

**That's it. I'm tired. Good night.**


	7. Card Games

**I own this computer, which took me months to earn the money for and is a piece of crap. If I had to money to own YuGiOh, I probably wouldn't have this laptop anymore.**

* * *

**Saturday, July 24, 2004**

**Late Afternoon**

He brings us cards.

Akefia's been coming in everyday, sometimes more than once. Today, he brought us some cards. He says that his _other _nephew-smirking in Bakura's direction as Bakura looks away, an unreadable expression on his face-loves to play, and Akefia likes to collect big bunches so he can pick out the ones he knows Bakura's brother will like best.

I didn't know Bakura had a brother. I want to ask him, but I'm afraid he'll get mad. He's been doing that a lot lately.

Akefia sets the shoe box filled with cards on the table. Tells us to take any cards we want. He'll teach us how to play.

I let Bakura go first, just because. He goes through them carefully, sometimes only glancing at one for a second before either adding it to his deck or discarding it, a few he spends a lot of time reading over.

When it's my turn, I pretty much choose whatever looks cool or has high attack points. I'm done a lot faster than Bakura.

Akefia stays for a really long time, going over the rules of the game. It seems really complicated, so Bakura takes a sheet of paper and writes down what Akefia is saying in his neat, tiny handwriting. Akefia seems actually happy to spend time with us, and not in the creepy way when he wants to have sex with Bakura. Even Bakura seems calm.

Bakura's been super stressed ever since Mariku left. Akefia doesn't come in at normal times, he comes in whenever he wants. He's woken us up early a couple times, he'll come in the middle of school, and Bakura has been ready to snap. He'll start yelling at Akefia as soon as the door is closed and locked, about nothing really in particular. And Akefia always beats him for it, until Bakura can't yell anymore.

I don't like seeing Bakura get hurt. I want to stop Akefia every time he starts hitting, but he just tells me that Bakura needs to 'learn his lesson' and keep his mouth shut.

I've learned to squeeze my eyes closed and block out the sound of Akefia's belt smacking against Bakura's bare skin, ignore Bakura's muffled yells that leak out through the pillow he bites down on. For some reason I begin to imagine that it's the sound of my father beating Rishid, and I am simply hiding from him. I don't know why that's comforting. It just is.

At least Akefia doesn't always look _happy _doing it. He certainly doesn't look upset about it, but it's better than Mariku, whose laughter is controlled by the amount of pain he can inflict on Bakura.

But Bakura says he doesn't care. And I don't know whether to be happy or concerned about that.

Akefia doesn't leave until after the sun has gone down. Bakura doesn't even look mad that he's completely shot our plans for the day. It confuses me, but then I remember that there was also no sex, and no punishment. Bakura must be happy about that.

We make mini pizzas for dinner, one for each of us plus one to share. I'm starting to gain a bit of weight back now that Akefia's feeding us. He says that Mariku wants us to stay small and skinny for him, and that's why he doesn't give us a whole lot to eat. Bakura and I decide to have our first Duel Monsters game after dinner. He beats me really easily, but I only care a little bit.

I remember that my friends Yugi and Joey both liked this game, but I never really got into it myself. I was never really that close to any of my friends, I was the one on the fringe that was accepted by the rest of the group but at the same time, wouldn't be missed too much if I decided to move on. I kinda preferred it that way. Liked, but not suffocated.

I wonder how my friends reacted when Mariku stole me. I remember Rishid yelling something, it sounded like he was telling them to get away from me. But I really don't remember. Did my friends get on the bus when it pulled up? Did they go to school, go on like nothing was happening? Pretend that nothing was wrong?

I don't know. I don't know if they'd be that upset. For the first time in my life, I wish I was closer to my friends. To be honest, they're probably already over it. Over me.

"Do you want popsicles for dessert?"

Bakura stands over me. I look up from the table and nod. He gets two popsicles, treats from Akefia, and comes back. He hands me one before unwrapping his, yellow. I unwrap mine, green. We suck in silence for a minute, savoring the cold in this hot, hot shed.

After a bit, I remove the popsicle from my mouth. "'Kura?"

Bakura doesn't look up at me. "Mmhph?" His mouth is full of popsicle.

I bite my lip, wondering if I should be asking or not. "What happened to your family?"

He stops eating, removing the flavored ice from his mouth and setting it down carefully on the wrapper. He stares at it for a minute before answering. "They went back to England."

"Without you?" I ask. He winces. I shouldn't have said that. "I mean, since you were gone…"

"That was part of it, yes." He answers carefully. His fingers find the popsicle stick and he plays with it for a minute, but he doesn't put it back in his mouth. "My father is Japanese and my mother was British, and they decided to move here with her little brother when I was little."

"Akefia?"

"Yeah. Uncle Akefia." He laughs a bit, but he doesn't really smile. "Akefia moved out before I started school. I don't know when he met Mariku. My parents didn't know him that well, but he was with Akefia almost every time he visited." His teeth come down on his lower lip. He's still staring at the table. "He always spent those visits playing with me and my brother and sister. He liked me the most, though, he'd always give me candy or take my side if I fought with…"

He trails off, still staring at the table. Suddenly, he stands up, chair scraping on the ground. He grabs his popsicle and tosses it into the trash, not even looking at me as he swiftly moves to the bathroom.

"I'm taking a bath." He says evenly, slamming the door with enough force to make the windows rattle. The sound of water flowing reaches my ears, and I stare at the wall, thinking about what Bakura just let slip. He's never told me anything about his family before. Pretty much everything that has to do with Bakura before he got here is off limits with him. Usually I'm okay with that.

But now my head is filled with more questions. Why does Akefia let Mariku keep Bakura here, when his sister is Bakura's mom? How can he keep that from her? And why does Akefia do these things to Bakura himself?

And why did Bakura's parents leave the country when Bakura was still missing? Why didn't they wait for him to be found? Did they just give up?

…Will that be me? Will Father, Rishid, and Ishizu give up on me? Will I be like Bakura, stuck in here for years with no one out looking for me? No one to help me?

* * *

**Wednesday, August 4, 2004**

**Evening**

_Dear Rishid and Ishizu-_

_It's been two months since I was stolen. Mariku's been gone for nearly half of it, which kinda defeats his purpose of stealing me, but whatever. At least he hasn't been touching me._

_When Mariku first took me here, I thought I'd be back home really soon. Like, later that day. But no one found me. I was right here, but no one thought to look._

_Bakura says that Mariku has gotten in trouble so many times the police have to search his property every once in a while. It's part of being on parole, which means he was in prison but got out early. They're supposed to check the shed, but they don't. Why don't they just do their jobs? They'd find us, and then Bakura and I could go home._

_Are you still looking for me? The news still mentions me, but not a lot and usually it's just to ask people to keep an eye out for me and report to the police if they see me. And that's not going to work, because I've hardly been out of the shed since I got here, and I haven't left the yard in two months. I can't do anything. I can't get out. I need you guys to find me._

_Can you please, please, please find me? I want to see you guys again. I don't want to be here for years like Bakura. I don't want to be with Mariku again. I just want to be home. That's all I want. It's not a lot. Most people don't even have to wish to get that. They just get to do it. Me and Bakura don't. It's not fair. _

_Please hurry up._

_-Marik_

* * *

**Thursday August 12, 2004**

**Morning**

Bakura and I are up and studying exponents when Mariku comes through the door for the first time in over a month, a wide grin on his face and a big container in his hands.

"Good morning, my boys!" He puts the container down on the counter, walking over to us. Bakura gets out of his chair and is immediately enveloped by Mariku's arms. Mariku presses their mouths together forcefully, holding the kiss for a long minute before breaking away, resting his chin on top of Bakura's head. "I missed you, Bakura." He says softly, fingers trailing down to Bakura's butt. He squeezes, then frowns. "You've gained weight. Akefia, what have you been feeding them?"

Akefia steps through the door, shutting it. He shrugs, eyes narrowed and face blank. "Food. Normal food."  
"You've been giving them too much. Bakura's getting fat." Mariku complains, stepping away from Bakura and turning towards me. I stand up too, knowing that's what Mariku wants me to do. Mariku brushes away my blonde hair, pressing his lips to my forehead. They feel rough. I don't like it. "And I missed you too, Marik." His hands go to my side, feeling up and down my waist and hips. "Marik too. They're only eleven years old, Akefia, they don't need that much."

"Well, they're practically starving to death under your watch." Akefia points out, crossing his arms. "God, I saw Bakura take his shirt off once, and I could count every one of his vertebrae. And you wonder why Bakura is so short, he's hardly gotten enough to eat since the day I brought him here to you."

"It's none of your business what I do with my boys." Mariku snaps, turning away from me. "I said I'd pay you to keep them alive while I was away, so you can shut your mouth now."

Akefia raises his hands up and looks away. Mariku grabs the container and turns back to us, smile back on his face. "So I stopped and picked you guys up a present on the way home. Thought you could use some extra company." He puts the container on the floor and opens one side. We wait and watch as a small black cat wanders out timidly, staring up at us with wide yellow eyes.

"Her name's Isis." Mariku says happily. My heart pangs as I think of my sister, since her name is a variation of the name Isis. I think my mother named her. The thought of her makes me want to cry.

Mariku's grin stays plastered on his face. I think he's proud of himself for thinking of getting a cat for us. The cat looks uncomfortable, so I kneel down, holding out my hand to her. She looks at me strangely, tilting her head before deciding to venture forth.

"Did you pick out that name, or did she already have it?" Bakura asks.

Mariku has already stood up, and is now talking to Akefia in low whispers. He doesn't hear. Bakura kneels down with me. The cat goes right to him and sits, staring up at him. I'm a bit jealous.

"Alright, well, I have some adult business to take care of today, but I'll be back tonight, boys." Mariku says, his thick fingers digging into our hair. "I'll probably have some stuff for Isis, too."

Bakura turns his head up to look at him before he nods. I keep my eyes trained to the ground. Mariku's fingers tighten, pulling on my hair slightly before the hand moves away. Akefia says goodbye to us before they're both out the door, lock back in place.

Bakura and I are silent for a moment. He extends his hand, scratching the cat lightly on the chin. She looks nervous at first, but gives in after a moment. She watches Bakura closely, but seems to enjoy it. Bakura keeps scratching. "It's your sister's name, right?"

I blink, startled. "Um, my sister's name is Ishizu, but…"

Saying my sister's name makes my heart ache and my stomach twist in knots. I'm hit by an intense wave of longing for her, and my brother. I miss them, miss them so much…

"We can change her name, if you're uncomfortable with it." Bakura says, not looking up. I nod silently, still fighting off tears.

"What should we name her?" I ask. Bakura purses his lips, moving his hand to pet the top of our new cat's head. She doesn't like that, so she flicks him with her tail and prances away. Bakura sits back.

"I don't know. I had a cat before her, so you can choose the name this time."

"You had a cat in here?" I ask, moving to lean forward on my arms. Bakura nods, corners of his lips tugging upwards in some semblance of a smile.

"Yeah. Her name was Diabound. And Mariku had a dog that lived in the backyard, I called him Zorc."

I smile. Bakura actually seems happy talking about them, I want him to keep talking.

"Mariku had to give Zorc away, though, when he bit my leg." He rolls up his pant leg, showing a very distinct bite scar along his calf. "Zorc was pretty mean to most people, but he usually didn't hurt me. Mariku actually got him when my uncle brought me here, he told me that I couldn't run away or Zorc would attack me, but he never did. He liked me a lot. It's just that Mariku had forgotten to feed him and I was out in the middle of the night, so…"

He rolls down his pants. "Mariku put the stitches in himself, because he didn't want to take me to the hospital. He got rid of Zorc after that, since I couldn't get too hurt. Or he would have to take me someplace to get help…"

He looks away. He doesn't have to finish.

"What happened to Diabound?" I ask.

Bakura turns his head back. He looks a little sad. "Oh, she was a rescue, so she was fairly old when I got her. She died of old age. Mariku went and had her cremated and let me spread her ashes in the yard."

"That was nice of him."

"Uh-huh."

We're silent for a minute. The cat is pawing at the desk, letting out a meow. I get an idea.

"What about Steve?" I say, smiling a bit. Bakura turns to me, looking unamused.

"She's a girl."

I grin. "I know. That's why it's so funny."

Bakura stares at the black cat for a minute. Then he starts to laugh. Real, big laughs. He flops onto his back and closes his eyes as he laughs. And then I'm laughing too. We're both on the floor together, laughing. We laugh and laugh and laugh until we're crying, fat tears running down our faces. And we still smile, even though it hurts our cheeks.

I realize that even though I've been living with Bakura for nearly two and a half months, I have never really seen him laugh like this. I barely ever see him smile.

Steve turns to look at us, a confused look in her yellow eyes. I'm pretty sure she thinks we're idiots, like all humans. I'm not laughing anymore, my stomach hurts from laughing. Bakura has closed his eyes as he cries. His laughter rings through the air.

Bakura is still laughing when I roll onto my side, reaching out and grasping his shoulders. I pull him close to me. Neither of us are laughing anymore.

I hold him like this for a while. He doesn't argue.

I don't know why Bakura lets me hold him like that, but he does. I think Bakura really just needs to know someone loves him. I know Mariku says it to him all the time. But that's Mariku. If he really does love Bakura, it's not the kind of love Bakura wants or needs.

I look down at Bakura. His face is blank, eyes red from the tears. He's not looking at me anymore.

I press my face into his white, fluffy hair. "Love you, 'Kura."

It takes a second, but finally he wraps his arms around me too.

* * *

**Thursday, August 12, 2004**

**Night**

Pain.

It fills my world. It's fire that licks its way up my spine, it's smoke that descends over my eyes, it's water that fills my lungs. It's everything. Nothing else exists.

I hold onto the headboard, fingers gripping the wood as Mariku holds my hips, pounding into me from behind. It hurts so much, and I cry, but I can't yell. My voice won't work anymore. Nothing works anymore.

Bakura is on the floor, naked, exhausted from his own session with Mariku. Blood leaks from the cuts Mariku made with his knife, sucking on them as he fucked Bakura into the table ten minutes ago. His eyes are closed. He doesn't move.

Mariku grunts and my body is filled with something hot. I collapse against the headboard, sweaty and tired and sore. Mariku pulls out of me and gets up from the bed.

I curl up on the pillow, grateful he's done. Bakura is dropped onto the bed beside me, grunting on impact.

I expect Mariku to get his clothes together and leave. Instead he walks over to the door completely naked, reaching out and flicking off the lights.

Soon I can hear the telltale creak as Mariku gets in bed with us, laying down right between Bakura and me. Bakura doesn't move. I don't think he's even conscious. I'm numb. Completely, totally numb.

Mariku slips an arm under me. He does the same for Bakura. He draws us close to him, holding us in his arms. I tense up. I don't want him touching me. The touching is supposed to be done after the sex. Mariku holds us tight.

"My boys." He sighs, closing his eyes. "My boys."

* * *

**This chapter was originally going to be longer. And I was originally planning on getting my homework done tonight. Some things just aren't meant to be.**

**I feel bad about giving these short chapters. I want to increase the word count to about 5,000 per chapter. But I'm also planning on reviving a slightly older fic I abandoned last summer, and I really don't think I have time to turn out two 5,000+ word chapters every week.**

**Anyway! So y'all like Akefia. I really don't see him or Bakura as being really sadistic, which is how they (or at least Bakura) are portrayed a lot. In the anime, Thief King Bakura witnessed the murder of many innocent people at a very young age. And we never really saw him hurt anyone just for the sheer pleasure of hurting people in the anime. He always had reasons, whether if it was because he needed something from them, or because he thought they deserved it. I think he would, especially in this situation, emphasize with animals and their helplessness in relation to his own. So he enjoys owning cats and dogs. **

**Also, I totally did not name the cat Steve because of YGO:TAS. I was thinking of a Let's Play! of Pokemon HeartGold I was reading a while ago, and the guy in question got a Totodile and named it Steve before finding out Steve was a girl. (Why did he get a female starter? I've been playing Pokemon for over a decade and have never gotten a female starter on the first try. I have encountered multiple shinies, though, so I guess it all balances out.) Ah-hem. But yes, that's where I got the idea. Then I remembered how Marik can only control people named Steve with his Rod, and awesomeness was born. Now I vote that LittleKuriboh does a 'Marik Plays Pokemon' next...**

**Also, because it needs to be said...CARD GAMES. Oh god, what's this?! A YuGiOh fanfic with card games?! WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?!**

**Okay people, you should all leave wonderful long reviews and give me lots of ideas for later events, because guess what? It's my birthday tomorrow. On Saturday I will turn the big 1-8. Now I can buy M-rated video games! And I can gamble! But no, actually, because Kameko has no money...**

**But seriously, I'm super busy during my birthday so you should all give me the gift of feedback! It actually means a lot to me when people take the time to review my stuff. I appreciate it so much.**

**Aaaand I'm tired. Good night, y'all. **

**-Ka-ka-ka-kameko. **


	8. For Bakura

**I now own a bunch of random stuff I will later be giving crazy people as Christmas gifts. I don't own YuGiOh.**

**NOTE: This is actually Chapter 7. I just split Chapter 2 into two parts so it's not a random 9,000 word chapter in the midst of five million 3,00 chapters. So I'm sorry to the people who subscribed and are getting two alerts. I love you guys!**

* * *

**Thursday, September 2, 2004**

**Morning**

I think school is starting soon.

I really didn't think I'd be here for the whole summer. I remember I was looking forward to the water park trip with my brother and sister. It seems so long ago. I wonder if they ever went.

At least it's starting to get cooler in the shed. It's still pretty hot, but at least Bakura and I don't have to take cold showers in the middle of the day to cool down. And Steve actually wanders around out here instead of just laying in the bathtub all day. I wish we could let her outside…

"I'm gonna have to ask Mariku what he's planning to do about heat in the winter…" Bakura says, chewing on a fingernail as he sits at our table. I look up from my math textbook. Bakura is staring out the window, even though you can't see past the plants.

"What about the heat?" I ask. Bakura's been here for four years, right? It's not his first winter.

Besides, we'll find a way to get out before it gets cold. We've already been here for so long, it can't be much longer until we're home again.

Bakura looks over at me, looking a bit startled that I said something before attempting a smile. "Oh, there's just no heat out here, so I've been using this crappy space heater, and it just doesn't work very well. Mariku said he'd get me a new one for this year, but he probably forgot…"

He taps the pencil to his lips, staring at the wall. I open my mouth to say something, but right then the door opens.

Bakura tenses in his seat, head spinning towards the door. His grip around the pencil tightens. We haven't had any 'out of the ordinary' visits from Mariku since the day he came back from jail, and I've only seen Akefia once since he stopped taking care of us. Which I'm a little disappointed about, not because I like him, but because he hid a giant muffin behind the paper towels the last time he was here, winking at me. Mariku has been cutting down on our food intake since he came back, insisting that 'we needed to go on a diet' and from what Bakura has told me, us getting enough to eat is Akefia's only real worry about us living with Mariku. So I'm hoping this 'Akefia slipping us extra food' thing will become routine.

Mariku and Akefia come in, smiling brightly. Mariku is holding three packages, all wrapped up in shiny blue wrapping paper. Akefia is holding what looks like a white bakery box.

"Bakura, put that down. I think you get a free pass from studying today." Mariku sets the packages down on the counter, walking over to where we're sitting as Akefia closes the door with his foot. Mariku bends down to our level and presses his lips to Bakura's temple. "Happy birthday, my kitten."

Bakura's birthday? Why didn't he say anything? I would have gotten up early and done all his chores for him or something…

"Mr. Twelve. You made it this far, bud." Akefia says as he makes room for his box on the counter. Mariku wraps his arms around Bakura's shoulders and squeezes, pressing his face into Bakura's neck. Akefia looks at them for a moment before producing a small bag of dinner rolls and a saran-wrapped hunk of cheese from his sweatshirt pocket. He places them in the old spot in the corner, unrolling the paper towel roll a bit to hide them. He sees me watching and smirks, pressing one finger to his lips. I nod and he turns back.

Mariku stands up, but keeps his hands on Bakura's shoulders. "So, do you want cake or presents first? You get to choose, birthday boy."

"It doesn't matter to me." Bakura says, face mostly blank. Mariku rolls his eyes and laughs.

"You just want to open your presents first, just too shy to say so. I know how you twelve-year-old boys work." Mariku takes Bakura's pencil out of his hand, a generous amount of prying involved, and puts it in his physics textbook, closing it and placing it on the floor under the table. I do the same with my textbook. Mariku grabs the presents and places them on the table, dropping down onto the third chair he just recently got for us. "Go grab the chair by the desk, Akefia."

He does, and then he comes and sits directly next to me. My skin crawls, even though Akefia's never touched me. I don't like him, I don't like the way he smells, I don't like the way he talks, and I don't like his creepy eyes…

"You gonna open your presents, Kitty?" Akefia says with a laugh. Bakura prickles, but doesn't say anything. Mariku and Akefia have just started comparing him to a cat, and he hates it. Though I have to admit, his hair really does remind me of a cat's. A fluffy, white cat, not like the sleek black Steve, who is currently fast asleep on our bed.

Akefia and Mariku continue to laugh as Bakura reaches for the first present on top, a small, long box. He opens it quickly, taking out what looks like two long, sharp chopsticks.

"Akefia told me Marik taught you how to knit." Mariku says, winking at me. Bakura nods and stares blankly at the knitting needles in his hands before looking up, pasting a plastic smile on his face and thanking Mariku.

The next present, a big one, is also from Mariku. It's filled with different yarns. Obviously a companion gift. Mariku probably couldn't figure out what else to get him. Bakura repeats the process of fake smiling and thanking. The last one is wide, long, and very thin, and it's from Akefia. Bakura tears the paper just a little bit at first before raising an eyebrow and tearing off the rest.

Bakura's mouth opens but he doesn't say anything. He just places the box on the table, looking at it with wide eyes.

"Oil pastels?" Mariku says, turning towards Akefia. "Geeze, those things aren't cheap. A big box like that must have cost you a fortune."

Akefia shrugs. "He's my nephew. I don't mind spending money on him."

"Uncle Akefia, I…thank you." Bakura stammers out, still staring at the box. I don't blame him. We only have some colored pencils here, nothing like these colors. Bakura's complained about our selection a few times, since he's actually really into art. I know he's been wanting more pencils, but this just blows that out of the water.

"You're welcome, Kuku…"

Bakura tenses, and Mariku shoots a dirty look at Akefia, who swiftly stands up. "Well, you can play with those later, Kitty. We're gonna have cake now."

We don't sing Happy Birthday or anything. Akefia gets out a knife and four forks and cuts four pieces from the cake, white with chocolate frosting. He puts the pieces on napkins and hands them out. Mariku yammers on about his 'day job' as a landscaper and complains about customers. Akefia responds a few times. Bakura and I are almost completely silent.

Steve wakes up and skits across the room to the bathroom door, standing and staring at us with wide eyes. I get up to pour her a bowl of milk and set it on the floor. She meows and rubs against my leg before going to lap up the milk. I scratch her neck and return to the table, but Mariku tells me to wash my hands before I touch my food again.

After a while, the conversation turns to us. Bakura and I remain quiet while Mariku rambles. He doesn't think our diet is going as well as it should. He wants us to exercise to lose more weight. I need a haircut. Bakura needs to be better about shaving. And on and on and on.

I want to yell, I want to jump up and scream that he shouldn't care. But then the reasons why he cares comes flashing in my eyes and I wipe my brain to avoid thinking about it, setting off a few bright red sparklers. I watch them fizzle and burn on the back of my eyelids, waiting until they sputter and die to make sure they don't burn anything important.

Finally, Mariku and Akefia leave, Mariku instructing us to limit the amount of cake we eat, he'll be checking later to make sure we're not taking too much.

Steve now roams across the room, happy that Mariku is gone. She doesn't like Mariku. I think she knows how much Bakura and I hate having sex with him. And Mariku doesn't like her either, since cat hair always gets stuck in the lube he sometimes uses with us, and she hisses at him whenever he comes in.

Bakura sits at the table, examining his new colors. Steve comes up and rubs against his leg, purring, before flopping down at his feet. I think about hugging him, but then I remember the way Mariku had his own arms wrapped around Bakura earlier and think better. I stand on the side of the table, hands gripping the back of my chair. Bakura notices me, but doesn't look up. I bite my lip. He continues to read the chemical warning on the back of the box. I open my mouth. "Happy bir-"

"SHUT UP!"

I jump as Bakura slams his present down on the table, hands trembling wildly. He stares at the box for a moment, then stares at me. He closes his eyes, teeth coming down on his lip as his hands ball into fists. He gets to his feet and makes his way into the bathroom. The door shuts and the lock slides. The sink is turned on.

Steve comes over to me, meowing to get my attention. I bend over to pick her up and retreat back to bed, where I bury my face in her fur and allow a few tears to slip down my cheeks. And if I can listen hard enough, I can hear Bakura quietly crying as well.

* * *

**Friday, September 17, 2004**

**Night**

At first I can't pinpoint what feels so wrong.

It's like any other night that Mariku comes in. We sit, talk a bit, then he chooses who he's going to fuck that night. Bakura more often than not, but I get my fair share too. Sometimes he tries to have sex twice, with both of us, but the first time usually tires him out too much.

Mariku chose Bakura tonight. I get mixed feelings from this; I don't like having sex, but I don't want Bakura to have to deal with it. Mariku doesn't hurt me when we're having sex, and he does with Bakura.

But tonight he doesn't do any of those 'kinky' things he usually likes to do with Bakura. He just told me to quietly work on my homework and instructed Bakura to strip, which he did. He had Bakura lay down on his back and Mariku laid down on top of him and they started to have sex.

And it was normal, with Mariku moaning in pleasure and Bakura whimpering in pain. The mattress squeaked and the headboard slammed against the wall as Mariku became violent with his thrusts.

And it all changed in a second. One little noise coming from the back of Bakura's throat.

"Ohhhhhhh."

My ears tune into this unfamiliarly noise, and I can't concentrate on my homework. Bakura continues to moan, and Mariku picks up on it, the headboard slamming into the wall even harder than before."

"Ooohhh…ohhhhhhh."

"God, yes…yes…come on, baby, you can do it…"

The banging becomes louder and faster. Mariku's breath quickens. Bakura's voice becomes a never-ending chorus of 'ohs' that echo and bounce off the shed's walls.

"Just a bit closer…we can do it together…"

Bakura gasps.

"Oh god…oh god oh god oh god..."

Mariku grunts. Bakura makes a weird strangled sound and then it's over. It's quiet for a minute, then the bed creaks as Mariku begins to get up. He lets out a chuckle and noisily kisses Bakura. "First ejaculation. Means the important part of puberty is over for you, kid."

Bakura stays silent. Mariku gets to his feet, putting his clothes on. "Obviously you're still growing, and your voice is still changing, that's weird…" Mariku pauses, then walks over to me. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and plants a kiss at my temple. "Nothing we have to worry about, boys. You're both on the right track. Marik's going to be a bit of a late bloomer, but there you go." He nuzzles my neck before standing up, going over to the door. He stops and looks around the shed for a minute. "I suppose I'll have to do something with the shed now, it'll be a bit cramped when you both finish growing…" His face goes blank for a minute, but then the smile's back. "Well, good night, boys!"

I don't move until I hear the lock slide in the door, and then I'm up and across the room.

"'Kura? You okay?" I say tentatively. Bakura is still splayed out on his back, eyes closed. A bite mark is visible on his neck, but it's not bad. I don't want to look at his privates, but I kinda have to.

Thick white trails down the insides of his pale thighs, almost indistinguishable from each other. That's normal. I see it on myself whenever I have sex with Mariku. But I'm not used to the clear, gel-like substance that mixes in with Mariku's semen. In the back of my mind I know it's from Bakura, but I can't make the two connect in my mind.

Bakura exhales, and blood rushes to my cheeks. I shouldn't be looking at him like this, when he's so helpless. I cover his midsection with a blanket and stoop to the floor to get his clothes. Shirt and pants in hand, I run to the bathroom and get a washcloth wet. When I come back, Bakura has opened his eyes. He's staring at me lazily, his half-lidded eyes making him look more Asian than usual.

"Here's your clothes." I say meekly, placing the oversized T-shirt and pajama pants on the side of the bed. I hand him the washcloth, which he stares at for a minute before going to clean himself up. I look the other way. Bakura looks at his clothes on the side of the bed before sitting up, grabbing the shirt and pulling it over his head.

I help him pull the fabric down, but when he throws aside the covers to get his pants back on, I turn the other way then and wait for him to be done. Bakura tries to get to his feet, but nearly falls to the floor, his knees are shaking so bad. I wrap my arms around his waist and help him stand up. He doesn't protest. He leans against me as I walk with him across the floor, helping him sit down in his chair. I turn the TV on before returning to my own seat.

I watch as the news begins, showing a story about a car accident on the highway. I notice that Bakura isn't watching, which is really unlike him. He's sitting with his head down, staring at the table. I stop paying attention to the new. "'Kura?"

Bakura doesn't say anything at first. He doesn't even acknowledge that he heard me. He's quiet for a minute before opening his mouth.

"I feel dirty."

I don't respond. We sit there, staring at the table, a million silent words bouncing between us as the news blares endlessly in the background, neither of us paying any attention.

* * *

**Tuesday, October 12, 2004**

**Noon**

_Dear Rishid and Ishizu-_

_Bakura's been acting weird. He's quieter than usual. I think Mariku upset him in some way, but I don't know what happened._

_Mariku beat me for the first time last night. He's been trying to get me to eat meat, but don't worry, I keep refusing. He says he wants me to get strong from the protein, but I tell him there are other sources of protein so I can still stay vegetarian. Last night he brought in a hamburger and told me to eat it. I told him to give it to Bakura, since he obviously wanted it. Mariku doesn't let Bakura have much meat. He says meat isn't good to Bakura's body, but he never gets sick from it, so I don't know what the problem is._

_Anyway, I wouldn't eat it. Mariku got annoyed with me and started hitting me with his fists. I have dark bruises all across my stomach, chest, and arms. But I know I'm lucky. He does way worse things to Bakura._

_I'm okay now. And I won't take any meat. __You don't have to worry._

_-Marik_

* * *

**Friday, October 29, 2004**

**Morning**

I'm starting to get worried about Bakura. He's been acting so weird. Like, weirder than usual.

He'll seem really happy one minute and on the verge of breaking down the next. He locks himself in the bathroom for long periods of time, only coming out for meals, where he sits and stares and doesn't eat anything. And he's completely stopped interacting with Mariku when he comes in for sex.

Mariku doesn't like that, how Bakura just lies there and doesn't react to anything. He just started choosing me for sex at the beginning, but then he got really angry with Bakura. He hits Bakura with all sorts of things, and leaves dark purple bruises all over his body. He bought these silver things he calls 'clover clamps' and puts them on Bakura's nipples. A few times he's tied Bakura to the bed and dripped hot wax all over his back.

Bakura hardly makes a sound when all of this is happening. He just squeezes his eyes shut and gets this peaceful, sad look on his face. Mariku's noticed too, because the last time it happened he squeezed Bakura's throat and shook him violently, screaming at him. I felt terrible feeling happy then, but I was just glad to see something on his face, even if it was terror.

Today is even worse. Bakura's barely said a word to me since he got up. We eat our breakfast without a word spoken between us while the news is on.

My name is mentioned, no real surprise there. They don't mention me much anymore at all, but when the news is especially slow they'll say something. They say something about how I've been missing for nearly five months now and people should still continue to watch out for me or 'anything suspicious.' I assume he means possibly finding my decomposing dead body, but whatever. I shove a bit of cereal in my face and listen intently to the newslady on the screen.

"Funny that you should mention Marik, John, since today marks the anniversary of _another _little boy's disappearance in our small town. Bakura Touzoku-" I nearly spit out my cereal. The screen behind the newswoman shows a picture of a younger, smiling Bakura, blue sky visible behind him. Across the table, the real Bakura stiffens, but doesn't look up. "-went missing five years ago today as he walked home from Domino Elementary school, where he was in the second grade. Bakura's twin brother and kindergarten aged sister had stayed behind at school to play in the snow, as we got a fairly early snowfall that year, and Bakura decided to walk home alone. An eyewitness who lived near the school reported being outside shoveling his driveway when he saw a brown van come up beside a boy who fit Bakura' description, a tall man wearing a red sweatshirt then emerged from the van and forced Bakura into the van. The eyewitness said that Bakura screamed and tried to get away-" the screen changes to a black background with a red, horizontal line. "-but the man held a rag to his face until Bakura stopped struggling before getting back into the van and driving away."

Static comes through the TV as the red line begins squiggling.

"_911, what's your emergency?"_

A pause. Someone is breathing heavily into the phone, like they're been running and can't catch their breath.

"_I…I just saw some guy…grab a kid..."_

"_And the child did not want to go with him?"_

"_N-no…he was trying to run…he pressed something over his mouth and I think he passed out…f—k I can't see him anymore…"_

"_Did the man force the child into a vehicle?"_

"_Y-yeah, he just drove away, the f—ker…"_

"_Sir, the police are on their way, can you give me a description of the car?"_

"_Y-y-yeah, lemme catch my breath first…"_

The screen cuts back to the newswoman. She looks deadly serious before opening her mouth.

"A car fitting our eyewitness's description was found burned-out in the middle of a field. Bakura has not been seen since. If you have any information on the location of either of these two boys, please call our…"

I can't listen anymore. I turn back to Bakura, who's still staring at the table. I touch his hand.

"You okay, 'Kura?"

Bakura doesn't look up. "I'm fine." He says, his voice sounding raspy and deeper than normal. He clears his throat and swallows. He doesn't look at me.

"I'm fine." He repeats.

* * *

**Friday, October 29, 2004**

**Night**

It's Steve's meowing that wakes me up. Usually Steve is quiet, she's not docile, but she's not a loud cat.

I've never heard her like this before. It seems almost unnatural, the _meow meow _that travels through the door and across the floor, reaching my ears. I realize that Steve is in the bathroom before I even open my eyes. I can hear her pawing at the door, which is weird because we never lock her in.  
Bakura's not in bed with me. His side of the bed is strangely empty and cold. I'm suddenly aware of the strange, stinging smell that fills the room. I pry open my eyes and peer out.

I can barely make out Bakura's figure through the microwave clock's light. He's standing by the counter, his long hair hiding the outline of his face from me. I hear the squeak of a drawer being opened. The sound of silverware being moved against each other. I don't understand what Bakura's doing, not even when he removes something I can't make out from the drawer.

The drawer closes. Bakura takes a deep breath. I watch him lift whatever is in his hand. I watch him bring his other arm up. He is still for a minute before bringing whatever is in his hands to his arm, causing him to gasp-

No.

Oh, god no.

I jump out of bed. Bakura doesn't notice. He brings his hand down for another cut.

NONONONONO-

There's something wet on the floor-I slip. I go crashing to the floor. Bakura notices that. He cries out, dropping the knife and sending it to the ground with a clatter. I scramble to my feet, maneuvering around the table as fast as I can.

Bakura turns and tries to get away. I'm faster. I grab him by the shoulders and wrestle him to the ground. His blood gets on my sleeve. I don't pay attention. Bakura yells and starts to pound his fists at me.

"No! No! Get off me, let me do it, let me do it!" He continues to hit, but he's losing stamina. "Stop it, let me…let me…"

He stops. And he starts shaking, sobs escaping from his throat. I watch as he squeezes his eyes shut, tears finally escaping and rolling down his cheeks.

"I can't do this anymore…"

I hug him. I can't think of anything else to do.

Bakura continues to lay there, crying, for a while before it dawns on me that Bakura is still bleeding. I need to take care of that. I get off Bakura and take hold of his arms, trying to gently bring him to his feet. He stays fairly limp, but he doesn't try to grab the knife back.

I spot the source of the strange smell and liquid coating the floor as I help Bakura back to the bed; an empty bottle of vegetable oil lies on its side atop the stove, oil dripping down the front of the oven. I know there's something wrong with this picture, but I'm so tired that I simply can't pinpoint what. I finally decide to just ignore it for now and deal with it in the morning.

Bakura isn't really crying anymore when I lay him down on the bed. He's moved past the tears and sobbing phase and is breathing shakily, a few sniffs interspersed. I remember Steve and run to unlock the door, keeping one eye on Bakura to make sure he doesn't get up and do something stupid again.

Steve skitters out as soon as I open the door. She stops a few feet into the room, looking around with a bewildered expression on her face before running over to the bed and hopping up onto the mattress. I dart into the bathroom, hoping that Steve will know to alert me if Bakura tries to hurt himself again. I get a washcloth wet and return to our bed. Bakura's cut is shallow, but he's still bled quite a bit. I clean the excess blood off and throw the bloody cloth in the sink. We only have band-aids, no real bandages, I guess since Mariku doesn't expect us to hurt ourselves badly. I take our roll of duct tape from the drawer and remove a pillowcase from one of our pillows, wrapping the fabric around Bakura's arm and taping it. I really hope that'll be enough to stop the blood flow. We don't have anything better to use.

I return the tape and walk back over to the bed. Steve has sat herself right next to Bakura's face, leaning down to lick the remaining tears up. Bakura doesn't react.

Steve retreats to the foot of the bed when I come back. I lift up the covers, sliding myself under and bringing them over Bakura. He finally seems to realize something is happening around him, and he holds them tightly to himself. I wrap my arms around him, holding him close as we lay there. Bakura does the same after a moment. We're silent for a minute.

"I hate my life." Bakura finally says. "I want to die."

"I know." I say, my face buried in his hair. "I'm sorry."

Bakura quickly draws in air, his voice going up an octave when he speaks. "What the lady said on the news is true, you know. I really tried to get away. My uncle never picked me up from school. And he had such a…a weird look in his eye. And he was swearing a lot and calling me a tease and a whore, and I just…I ran. But he grabbed me and it just went dark."

I nod and press my lips to his forehead. Bakura doesn't react. He goes on.

"And then when I woke up, it was still dark, even though my eyes were open. I was in here, chained to a bed, and blindfolded. I had this metal collar around my neck, and I was naked. I was scared and I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know Akefia and Mariku were there until they started talking to me. They-" He sniffs. "-Mariku told me I belonged to him now, and I had to obey him or they would hurt my brother and sister. And I was so scared I just started crying, and Akefia started slapping me and told me I had to be more respectful. Then they-"

Bakura begins to cry again, and I hold him tight, petting his hair until he recovers and resumes.

"-they tied my ankles to a pole so I couldn't close my legs. One of them stuck their penis in my face and told me to suck on it. The other one fucked me. I didn't know why they were doing this to me. I was so confused. They kept me chained to that bed for months. I was only allowed to stand up to go to the bathroom, and my hands were still cuffed together for that. They kept the blindfold on me for three weeks. It was the scariest thing I've ever been through."

Bakura bites back a sob. "I thought about escaping for about a year. Then Akefia brought in a newspaper the day after Christmas the year after I was brought there. My mom and my baby sister had been killed in a car accident driving home from Christmas Eve mass. A little while later he told me that my father had taken my brother Ryou back to England to get away from it all. They all left me. And my uncle doesn't care about how I feel at all. Mariku just likes to torture me."

Bakura is silent for a minute. I don't say anything. I just hold him. He shakes in my arms, but he's stopped crying. "I don't know what I did to deserve this, Marik. I just want it all to end. No one cares about me being alive. No one cares about me."

There, Bakura has just laid out every one of my fears. Being taken here, that already happened. But being forgotten. The people you love dying. Being left alone. Assumed dead.

What would I do, if I were in his situation? What if Ishizu forgot about me? What if Rishid died? What if Father took my brother and sister back to Egypt, leaving me here? Leaving all hope that I would ever be found again?

I don't know if I could do it.

I press my lips to Bakura's forehead. "I care, 'Kura."

Bakura doesn't say anything, but tightens his grip on me.

I stroke his hair as he falls asleep, safe in my arms. Steve comes up and settles in the hollow between our legs, snuggling with us. Finally, I feel myself drifting off, this entire episode fading like a nightmare in my mind.

One thing rings clear as I slip out of this hell and into unconsciousness.

I need to get us both out of here. For me, for my family. For Bakura. We have to escape.

* * *

**AH!**

**So this is slightly late. Actually, since I previously told you all I'd post on weekends, this is on time. The past few chapters have been uploaded on Thursdays, so I've just been early. But anyway, here's an extra-long chapter. And on Marik's birthday! (Happy birthday, Marik!)**

**Also, I had my own birthday since the last chapter was posted. And I managed to end up in a ditch after my car spun out. What fun. My birthday was pretty low-key, I went to show choir practice, came home and 'cough' worked on this. My brother (we're twins) got to go out and party all day. And his car stayed out of the ditch. Lucky him. **

**Oh, you guys probably want to hear about the story now...**

**Yay, we finally got a bit of Bakura backstory! We really don't know a whole lot about the dynamics that led up to the whole abduction event, (I don't even know, because I suck) but yeah. I know that no news station would actually do a piece on Bakura's disappearance five years after he first went missing, even in a small city like Domino, but I wanted to write it, so here. Take it and be happy with it!**

**I hated doing Bakura's birthday scene. I don't know why. I just found myself frustrated whenever I tried to write it, so that's part of the reason why this chapter is delayed.**

**So I went to The Google and did a bit of reading (Wikipedia is my best friend...) on male puberty. Part of me thinks I'm an idiot, because I have five brothers, one of whom is my twin, another is extremely close to our age, and all but one has gone through puberty already. Yet when I think 'is this too early for that? At what age did 'insert brother name here' start doing this?' I draw a blank. I guess I just really don't pay attention. But Wikipedia states that the first ejaculation occurs when a boy is around 11-13 years old, or about a year after the onset of puberty. The semen they produce is normally lacking in sperm and fails to liquify. **

**About the last scene...yes, Bakura was planning on killing himself and Marik. Vegetable oil is a flammable substance, so my theory is that Bakura was planning on turning the stove on after he'd slashed himself up a bit, setting fire to the room. The fire would be too big to put out, and since Marik had no way of getting out, he'd be killed as well. Why? Well, Bakura's not quite right in the head.**

**Reviews? As a Christmas present to me? I'm pretty sure I'm going to be stuck at my crazy mother's house for Christmas, so it would be nice. (She is crazy. Earlier today she burst into the bathroom when I was on the toilet and started crying and screaming at me because my stepfather is a jackass. What the ever-loving frig...) So yeah. Feedback. Good. Helps with the insanity.**

**Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah, or whatever you're celebrating this winter! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!**

**-Ch-Ch-Ch-Chihiro. (It's cold.)**


	9. The Escape

**I own a new pair of work shoes I still can't walk in. I don't own YuGiOh.**

* * *

**Thursday, November 18, 2004**

**Evening**

Finally. It'll happen tonight.

Bakura and I started planning our escape the day after he went crazy and tried to cut himself up. He was afraid at first. Afraid of what Mariku would do to him if he found out. Part of me wondered what Mariku could really do at this point, since it sounds like he's already gone to impressive lengths to torture Bakura even when he's behaving, but I didn't say anything. I just told him Mariku wasn't going to find out. Because he's not. How would he find out? We'd leave. We'd be far away from him when he discovered we were gone. Hopefully he'd already be in jail. Unable to touch us.

And then we were both nervous. Where would we go? Who would want us back the way we are? Sad, used, dirty. I just shook those thoughts out of my head and thought about my brother and sister. Their faces when they saw me again. I know Ishizu definitely thinks I'm dead. Why wouldn't she? I've been gone for five and a half months. Nobody's seen me. They haven't heard a word from me. Ishizu's realistic. She wouldn't hold onto hope that I was alive for very long. She'd give up. And I don't blame her.

Rishid would never let go of hope. We're too close. He loves me too much. Unless it was confirmed that I was dead, he wouldn't be able to think that. He wouldn't be able to live with the uncertainty.

So I focus on them. Seeing them again. I know they'll accept me back.

Bakura's different. He's been here too long, been used too much. He doesn't think his father will want him back. I can't say anything about that because I don't know his father. I just put my arm around him and tell him I'll always be here for him.

So we made a plan. It isn't perfect, it isn't foolproof. But it's all we have.

We had to wait for a night Mariku came in drunk. Not really because it was vital to the plan, but because it would be easier. He would be less aware, less likely to suspect us. We can't risk him figuring it out. We only have one shot at this. And we don't have another plan.

Tonight he tripped as he came through the door, eyes unfocused. He isn't terribly drunk. But definitely not all there. I turn to Bakura and nod. He nods back. Plan set in motion.

"Hey boys." Mariku smiles at us, trying to stand up straight and failing. He keeps smiling though. "How are you guys?"

Bakura stands up, yawning. He hasn't been getting a lot of sleep lately. He's been too nervous. I hope he can stay awake. Mariku frowns, but Bakura hides the yawn well. "We're fine. We were just planning on showering tonight." Bakura walks forward, putting his hand on Mariku's shoulder and going up on tiptoes to whisper in his ear. I don't hear what he says. Mariku closes his eyes, a smile on his face as Bakura talks.

"Mmm. That sounds good…" He opens his eyes, a content expression on his face. I'm dancing inside. Our plan is working. Our plan is working!

Then his gaze falls on Bakura, and he immediately frowns. Bakura is dead on his feet. He looks so exhausted I could probably blow on him and he'd fall over. Mariku puts his hands on Bakura's hips. "That idea sounds great, but I think I'll give you a break tonight. You should go to bed early. I'll take Marik into the shower."

No, no, no, no, NO! That's not how it's supposed to work! He's supposed to take Bakura into the shower, not me!

Mariku pushes Bakura towards the bed with a little more force than he was probably intending. Bakura falls onto the mattress, waking up Steve, who has been napping on a pillow all evening. Mariku comes over to me, and I stand up, legs shaking. Mariku loops one arm around my waist and guides me to the bathroom. I look back at Bakura, who gives me a harsh look. I gulp. I can do this. For Bakura. For Rishid. For Ishizu. I can do this.

We're in the shower all too soon. Mariku pushes me against the wall, my face pressed up against the tile. He grabs my hips and squeezes them so hard I'm sure his fingers leave bruises. I bite my lip and squeeze my eyes shut as I feel him enter me. It hurts. It hurts so much.

But I can do it. One last time. It's okay that we're switching roles. Bakura will do what I was planning on doing. He'll sneak into the bathroom and fish the key to the door out of Mariku's discarded pants. He'll go and unlock the door, and put a piece of tape over the lock. Then he'll return the key. And then we'll hope that Mariku doesn't notice. He's drunk, so that's not inconceivable. Our plan will work. Ra, please let it work.

I don't pay attention to Mariku pumping away behind me. I only have to do this one more time. And then it'll be done. Bakura and I will be out of here tonight. We'll go home. We won't ever have to have sex with Mariku again. I can deal with this one last time. I have to. For Bakura, so he doesn't have to have sex anymore. For Rishid and Ishizu, so they can have their brother back. For me. This is for me too. To see my family again. To go home. To go to school, to have friends, to go outside, to not be afraid anymore. To be free. I want to be free. I can do this one last time to be free. Free.

And Mariku is done. He washes me afterwards, so I guess I can be thankful for that.

Bakura is in bed when we get out. He looks asleep, and panic washes through me. Did he do it? Or was he really that tired?

Mariku goes over and kisses his forehead. Bakura doesn't wake up. Mariku comes back over to me and kisses me on the lips.

"You're so, so good." He says as we pull away. He reaches into his pocket, grabbing his keys as he leans down to place a kiss on my nose. "I love you. Both of you. I'll see you tomorrow."

And he leaves. He leaves, he's gone, I never have to deal with him again. I'm almost free of him. Almost.

Bakura stirs, and I race over. His face is totally blank, as he sits up, and my heart crumbles.

Then a grin spreads across his face.

Relief comes washing through me, and I can barely hold myself up. "Bakura, you scared me."

"But I did it, Marik. We did it." He wraps his arms around me, and I hug back.

We had agreed to wait an hour to actually leave. We want to make sure Mariku is asleep when we make our escape. I never thought it would be so hard.

There's nothing standing in our way. Nothing but an unlocked door. How am I supposed to stay here, when freedom is so close?

Bakura seems a bit calmer. He cuts his hair while we wait. He keeps it long, nearly waist-length, but he takes the split ends off. He asks if I want a haircut, but I shake my head. I don't want my hair to be different from when I left.

I put my armband on. I have to push it farther up my arm for it to stay, I'm so skinny now. I ask Bakura if he wants to eat. He says he's too nervous to eat. I pour myself a bowl of cereal and eat while staring at the clock.

The second the clock ticks over and shows that we've been waiting an hour, Bakura and I both stand up. We look at each other once and laugh nervously. We walk over to the door. I turn off the light. Bakura puts his hand on the doorknob.

We're both completely silent as Bakura turns the knob, although I'm pretty sure I can hear both our hearts thumping away inside our chests. What if our plan didn't work? What if the door was still locked? What if we're still stuck in this place?

The knob turns. The door opens.

I almost cry.

It's cold. That's the first thing that registers when the door is opened. It's cold, very cold. It just reminds me of how long I've been here. Long enough that summer has gone away and left this cold. I missed the season change. I've been inside the shed that long. In five and a half months, I've been outside once. Only once.

I take one step outside and shiver. I'm wearing a sweatshirt, socks, and jeans, but it's not enough. I need a coat, I need shoes. But Mariku doesn't give us those things because he doesn't think we need them. Because we stay inside his shed, his cage that he constructed for us.

Steve darts out, making a beeline for the fence. I look back. Bakura is standing in the doorway, staring out at the yard, an unreadable expression on his face. I grab his hand and tug. He looks at me, seeming startled. He steps out onto the lawn, softly shutting the door behind him.

The shed looks so strange from the outside. Of course, I've seen the outside before, but I was too preoccupied with being outside to really take notice. It doesn't look like a prison. It doesn't look like a cage. It just looks like a shed.

Bakura and I sprint across the yard, towards the corner of fence with no hedge surrounding it, just like we planned. We'll have to cut across Akefia's yard to get to the road. I'm a bit nervous about that, but he's asleep. And we can't risk getting lost in the woods at night. We have to get to safety tonight. Mariku or Akefia could be in in the morning to check on us, and they'll be out combing the woods for us when they find we're not there.

I slow down when we reach the pond. It's freezing out, and I can faintly make out a thin layer of ice around the edges of the water. The pond extends close to the fence; too close. I grab onto the side of the fence to help me shuffle sideways towards the corner.

Ow! I jerk my hand away, watching as blood drips down my palm.

"Mariku must have put broken glass on top…" Bakura says quietly as he looks at the post. He turns to me. "Just try to get through the best you can."

I nod and start walking sideways, not touching the fence. It's not easy. I slip once, and the heel of my sock gets soaked. The cold is so intense it actually feels like icy needles jabbing into my foot. It's so cold it hurts. I bite my lip and keep going. For my siblings, for Bakura, for me.

And I'm across, on the little patch of land inside the fence, separated from the rest of Mariku's property by the pond. I smile to myself. So close. We're so, so close.

I motion for Bakura to follow, and he does. I watch him carefully, one eye on Mariku's house. I can see some windows, but all the lights are off. He's asleep. I grin.

I see it happening in slow motion. Bakura's foot slips, a lot like mine, but he doesn't recover. He falls backwards, his back hitting the water with a loud _SPLASH! _and the rest of his body sinking into the icy darkness.

My feet are submerged in the water, my hands thrust into the pond as I try to help my friend. I quickly find Bakura's hand and start pulling. I get Bakura out quickly. He gasps and sputters, but he seems alright. I check the windows again. No lights.

We have to move. I ask Bakura if he's okay. He nods yes. Still no lights.

I hoist myself over the fence, ignoring the holes the fence rips in my hands. It hurts, but I can deal. We have to escape fast. I have to get Bakura out of those wet clothes, into something warm. Now.

I help Bakura across. He still gets cut up, but not as bad as me. He's shivering violently. I grab his hands and blow on them to give him some warmth. It doesn't really help.

"M-M-Marik…" Bakura's teeth are chattering. "W-We ha-a-ave to st-st-start m-m-m-moving…."

I nod and take hold of one of his hands, threading our fingers together. His hands are like ice.

We only have one obstacle left. Akefia's yard. I can see his house, faintly. His front yard is big. His house is far back on the property.

One hurdle left. Then we're on the street. Then we just have to run. Find a house. Knock on doors until someone answers. It doesn't matter that they'll be cranky. We just have to tell them the truth. We just need to use their phone. Call the police. And they'll save us. They'll save us…

We dash across the lawn. We're so close. So, so, so close…

Akefia's floodlight comes on.

I run faster.

"Hey! Stop! Both of you! Stop!"

Bakura and I keep running. So close!

"I have my rifle! I'll shoot you both if you don't stop!"

I can't stop. I can't make my feet stop. I can't give up hope. We're close, so close…

We're not running. I don't know what happened. I don't remember.

Akefia runs up to us. I don't move, I don't react. Freedom is five feet and a million miles away.

"You're both in a huge mess of trouble…" Akefia mutters as he grabs hold of our arms.

It's not happening. It can't be happening. We can't be trapped again. We're escaping. We have to get out of here. This can't be happening…

Akefia drags us across the lawn and through his door. He throws us onto the floor, whirling around to shut and lock the door. He sets his rifle down against the wall, turning around to face us. He crosses his arms, narrowing his eyes.

"Start explaining. And maybe I won't beat you two within an inch of your short, pathetic lives."

I can't get my voice to work. Why can't I talk anymore? I used to talk all the time. What happened when I came here? Why can't I talk to anyone besides Bakura?

Bakura gets to his feet. His knees shake. He's shivering, his teeth chattering. He's still sopping wet. "P-P-Please, Uncle Ak-k-kefia. We j-j-just want to g-g-go h-home…"

Akefia doesn't change his expression. "You have a home, with me and Mariku."

Bakura looks like he's about to cry. His skin is starting to turn blue. And I'm angry.

"He's cold." I say. Akefia whips his head towards me.

"What did you say?" He says quietly, poison dripping from his words.

My mouth is dry, but I have to keep talking. "Bakura. He fell into the pond. He's wet and cold. He's going to get sick if you don't help him."

"Don't tell me how to treat my nephew!" Akefia looks angry now. So, so angry. It scares me…

But this is for Bakura. I can do this. For Bakura.

"You're not treating him right!" My voice goes up an octave, but I ignore it. I stand up. "You're not treating either of us right! You can't lock us up like that! You don't own us!"

Akefia's hands. Around my throat. Squeezing. Shaking me. He's yelling. I can't hear. I'm going to die. Akefia is going to kill me.

Rishid. Ishizu. I'll never see them again. Will Mariku and Akefia at least let them have my body back? So they know what happened to me?

Bakura pries Akefia's hands from my neck. I can breathe again. I can breathe.

I fall to the floor.

"Akefia, p-please, I j-j-just want to s-see my dad and br-brother again, M-Marik wants to see h-his family, we w-w-won't tell anyone your n-name, you won't go to j-j-jail, just please, let us g-go _home!_"

"Shut up! They don't want you, Bakura! Your father doesn't want you anymore! That's why he moved away! He doesn't care about you! No one but me and Mariku care about you!"

He's strangling Bakura just like he was to me a second ago. But this time he drops Bakura out of his own free will. Bakura collapses in a heap, like me.

Akefia runs his hand through his hair. "We care about you. We love you. We can't let you leave."

"P-p-please. I d-don't want this…"

Akefia looks sad for a moment as he stares at Bakura, broken and freezing on the floor. Then the ice descends over his face again and I have no hope left.

"I'm taking you two back."

Bakura begs and pleads. I have nothing left in me. I can't fight. They won.

The night air doesn't seem as cold as Akefia drags us back. Bakura continues to plead with Akefia to let us go. Akefia doesn't seem to hear. Bakura's teeth are still chattering, and he keeps stumbling over his words. I need to get him warm as soon as we get in. Maybe give him a hot bath. Find him some dry clothes.

I expect to be taken back to the shed, but Akefia marches us right up to Mariku's front door. I've never seen the front of the house from the outside. It's not a big house. Two stories, a deck on the upper level. No lights on.

Akefia takes us up the stairs and onto the porch. He lifts his leg and hits the doorbell with his foot. Bakura is crying. I'm pretty sure I am too.

My heart thuds as we wait. It takes a while, so I get my hopes up. Maybe Mariku won't wake up to the doorbell. Maybe he's not home. Maybe he died in his sleep…

A light flicks on inside.

My heart stops.

The door unlocks, and Mariku opens it. He looks confused when he sees Akefia there, but then he sees us. His expression doesn't change.

"Your pets tried to run away." Akefia says, shaking us. "I found them making a mad dash across my yard."

"Why is Bakura all wet?" Mariku asks, the befuddled look not leaving his face. He's shirtless, only wearing a pair of black sweatpants. He probably just woke up.

Akefia huffs. "He probably fell in your damn pond. The splash woke me up, and I went outside with my gun and found these two trying to _leave_."

On the last word, Akefia pushes me forward. I hit the floor, my face by Mariku's feet. I cough. Mariku looks down at me. I peer up, silently begging his forgiveness. He turns back to Akefia.

"Thank you, Akefia. I'll take it from here. You go home and let me deal with this."

Akefia hands Bakura over to Mariku, who grips both his wrists in one hand. He leans down and grabs the back of my shirt collar, hauling me to my feet.

Akefia is already on the stairs, walking away. Mariku begins to turn around, towards the living room, when Akefia turns around on the stairs. "Mariku. Don't kill my nephew."

Mariku's expression still doesn't change. "Trust me, I don't plan on it."

He kicks the door shut with his foot. He tosses both of us onto the floor, coughing. I catch sight of Bakura as we lay there. His hair is still soaked, and his lips have turned a shade of deep purple. This isn't good.

"Why…why would you…" Mariku closes his eyes and runs a hand through his hair, still spiky even though he just got out of bed. "Bakura. I've taken care of you, loved you for five years. Why would you try to leave me?"

"I'm s-s-sorry…" Bakura gets on his knees, but keeps his head bowed. It makes me sad. I've never seen Bakura this broken.

"Sorry? Sorry that you've betrayed my trust?" Mariku says, opening his eyes. He locks his sight on Bakura, eyes narrowing as he strides forward towards him. "Sorry that you've betrayed the only man who will ever love you unconditionally? Sorry that you tried to reject me?!" Mariku's face contorts as he speaks. His eyes become alight, jaw clenching and veins popping from his skin. He reaches forward, grabbing the front of Bakura's shirt. "LOOK AT EVERYTHING I'VE GIVEN YOU! LOOK AT WHAT I'VE SACRIFICED TO KEEP YOU HERE WITH ME! AND YOU JUST SAID 'FUCK YOU' TO ME AND TRIED TO LEAVE! ARE YOU REALLY SORRY, BAKURA? I DON'T THINK YOU ARE!"

Bakura cries louder as Mariku shakes him. I don't even recognize Mariku as the same person anymore. I just want to stay huddled up on the floor forever. Away from his anger.

But there's Bakura. Bakura, who I can never protect.

Actually, that's a lie. I can protect him.

"Stop it! Please!" I cry, pushing myself up onto my feet. "It was my idea! Not his! Please!"

Mariku turns his head to stare at me. He seems surprised I even said anything, but then his eyes narrow again and I'm sure he's going to kill me. He drops Bakura to the floor. He turns towards me, moving fast, too fast.

I can't move. I can't run. He's going to kill me. I'm going to die.

His hands are in my hair. Pulling. It hurts. It feels like my scalp is going to come off. His other hand finds my throat. He squeezes. I can still breathe, but just barely. I cough.

"I tried to give you a good life here." He spits, teeth clenched. "You weren't some random kid I picked up from the street, you know. I saw you and thought, 'He looks like a nice kid. He would make a great friend for my Bakura.' And then I did some digging, and I found out what your daddy was like. A messed-up, abusive drunk. You should be fucking _grateful _I took you away from that. But what do you do?!"

He throws me onto the floor. I don't try to shield myself from his kicks. "You try to run away! You brainwash my Bakura and you try to get him to go along with your ridiculous plans! Well, I'm through with being Mr. Nice Mariku! I'm going to teach you boys a lesson once and for all! You need me! You can't leave! I WON'T LET YOU!"

His hands are digging into my hair again, but this time he's pulling me to my feet. He continues his screaming as he drags me across the room. Bakura is begging him not to hurt me, but if Mariku hears, he doesn't respond. I cry. I can't do anything else.

Mariku stops to fiddle with the door underneath the stairs, and my stomach drops. Bakura's told me about this punishment, although he's only been bad enough to get it once or twice. Locked up beneath the stairs. No light. No food. No water.

The door pops open. I scream, just because I don't know what else to do.

Mariku shoves me in. I hit the wall.

The door closes.

I jump up, beating my fists against the door, yelling for someone to let me out. It's so dark. So, so dark.

Bakura is still pleading with Mariku, but I can't make out the words. I hear him scream. Then there's the _thump thump thump _as Mariku drags him up the stairs, up over him. I pound on the walls harder.

I'm still pounding away when the beating begins. There isn't much spoken between them, sometimes I'll hear Bakura begging for mercy and Mariku quickly telling him to shut up. Mostly it's just the sound of beating, of being beaten. Some sounds I recognize from overhearing my father 'discipline' Rishid. Most I don't.

Then Mariku is walking around upstairs. He comes back down. I get my hopes up. Is our punishment over already? Is it my turn to get beaten?

I don't even care. I just want out of this dark.

He presses something up against the door. I hear him grunt, rustling around.

And then the banging.

I scream and throw myself against the door. The pounding doesn't stop. He's nailing boards against the door. Nailing me in. So I can never get out. I'm going to die in here. I'll never see light again.

I continue to scream and cry and pound the door. He has to let me out. If I plead enough, he'll let me out. I beg, I make promises. He doesn't stop. Doesn't even slow down. Just starts pounding in the next nail.

Finally, he stops. He drops his hammer, I can hear it hit the floor.

He's moving. Up the stairs. Towards his bedroom. Towards Bakura.

Bakura starts the pleading again. But he's quieter this time. Resigned.

Mariku tells him to stop talking.

There's a moment of heavy silence.

And then Bakura's scream cuts through the air.

* * *

**I really don't have much to say about this chapter, other than it depressed me to write.**

**And I'm tired. I've worked pretty much constantly since I got out of school, and frankly, I'm sick of alas, I need to be up in six hours to get ready for yet another fun day at work. Honestly, sometimes I just want to scream at people. "You are not in a five star restaurant. You will be mindlessly snacking as you watch a movie. So shut up and buy some popcorn like every other human being on the planet."  
**

**On a lighter note, how was everyone's Christmas? I got a super nice bow, so that made me happy. I haven't had time to use it, but whatever.**

**After long shifts there are only two things that can make me smile. Actually three things, but LittleKuriboh never updates so I'm not counting on another Evil Council video. I already have pizza to eat, will you give me reviews?**

**-Popcorn Lady**


	10. Fear of the Dark

**I own a new bow, actual arrows with pointed tips, and a new whisker biscuit that hasn't been taken out of it's packaging yet because I'm too busy to shoot now. I don't own Yugioh.**

* * *

**Unknown**

Dark.

It's all around me. It's my entire world. No light. No shapes, no color. Just dark.

At first, the darkness confused me. My world got messed up. Up meant down, left was right, the entire house could be flipped upside down and spun round in circles and I wouldn't have noticed.

Then the confusion wore off. I knew where the floor was, I knew where the walls were, I knew every step on the underside of the stairway. I knew this place, not by seeing it, but by touch.

I became aware of how small the space was. Long enough for me to lie down length-wise. Wide enough for me to stretch out my arms and have the walls meet the middle of my fore-arms. Tall enough at its highest that I could stand up and press my hands to the ceiling. But that's really not that big for an eleven-year-old. I needed room to move.

The darkness was oppressive after a while. I couldn't breathe. I curled into a ball to protect myself and shut my eyes. Maybe if I closed my eyes, I would be able to see something when I opened them again.

I've never been in complete darkness like this before. Sure, I've been in the dark. But there's always been some light. Something. The light of a lamp under the door. A glow-in-the-dark sticker left uncovered. Even a bit of moonlight leaking through the curtains.

But there's none of that here. Mariku has made sure that no light would get through to this place.

I screamed and pounded on the door for hours after I was locked in. Hoping that Mariku would let me out if I bothered him enough. Hoping someone else would hear me and call the police. It didn't work. All I got was a sore throat and bloody hands.

And I could hear…noises from upstairs. Bakura's screaming was frequent enough, but that died down as well as he seemingly tired himself out. But I could still hear other things. Mariku saying things to him, calling him names, telling Bakura all the things he's going to do to him. He'd go down a list, naming horrible and filthy acts he would do to Bakura. And it seemed like he completed every one. I could hear Mariku's grunts, Bakura's pained moans from down here. If I listened hard enough, I could even hear the steady beat of a headboard against the wall.

My hearing has greatly improved since I was locked up underneath the stairs, deprived one of my senses. I can hear a lot of things. Helicopters, television from the other room, even the hum of Mariku's oven as he heats up his dinner, me locked away under the stairs and Bakura tied up in his room.

I hear way too much. Every exchange between the two, every punishment Bakura receives. I so want to turn off my ears so I don't have to hear.

I don't know how long I've been under here. Days, I know that. I've had no water, nothing to eat since Mariku threw me in here. And I can tell. My mouth is as dry as the desert back home. My throat feels like it's constantly on fire. And my stomach is caving in on itself. It's long ago giving up grumbling for food. Now there's just a terrible feeling of emptiness. I can't yell anymore, can't fight. I can't stand up. I have to struggle to lift my head from the floor.

Bakura's punishment is still continuing, but he doesn't make much noise, except for a lot of coughing. I can hear the sound of Mariku slapping him, telling him to scream, to _say_ something. He doesn't. I wonder if Mariku is planning on killing him too. I know he told Akefia he wouldn't kill Bakura, but maybe he was just lying. He's lied before.

Sometimes I hear Akefia in the house. They talk a bit about me, but they keep their voices low so I can't hear. Mostly, the talk about Bakura. They talk about how he had been soaked and freezing when Akefia brought him back, about the constant coughing he seemed to be doing. Akefia mentions a word that terrifies me.

Pneumonia.

Akefia says he's sure Bakura has it. I try to remember everything my sister has told me about getting sick from the cold. She said pneumonia was really dangerous, and people who have it have to go to the hospital or they could die.

Bakura could die.

But Mariku doesn't take him to the hospital. Whether it's because he's afraid someone will figure out that he kidnapped Bakura or because he's just that angry with him, I don't know. I'll probably never know. But he lets Bakura suffer upstairs. Even though he's dying. Mariku is going to let Bakura die.

Bakura is going to die from being sick with pneumonia, and I'm going to die from not getting anything to eat or drink. I wonder if I should feel scared, or nervous. I really don't. I don't feel anxious for it to happen, either. I'm just sort of neutral towards it. My only fear is that Bakura will die before I do. I don't want to be here, still alive while knowing Bakura is dead, and it's all my fault. And I'll know. Even though I hate hearing Bakura cough, they let me know he's still alive. Every time I don't hear a cough for a while, I panic. I'm just dreading the time he stops coughing for good.

What will Mariku and Akefia do with our bodies? I really, really hope they'll dump them somewhere. So we can be found. So my brother and sister will know I'm dead. So Bakura's dad and brother will know he's dead. So none of them have to wonder.

Being awake and being asleep have melted together in my mind; they're so similar. I seem to nap, falling asleep when it's fairly quiet and awaking when there's sound. Last time I fell asleep, I was sure I was going to die before I woke up again. I'm just so, so thirsty. There's a faucet with an unlimited water supply ten feet away, but I can't have any. Because Mariku doesn't want me to have it. So I thought I would die from dehydration. But I woke up again. Not dead. I guess that's a good thing.

Akefia and Mariku are in the kitchen, talking in low whispers, so I can't hear everything they're saying. I listen closely. I hear snippets of their conversation. I hear the word "Bakura." I listen to the chatter, getting a few nondescript words here and there. Then my ears pick up another word. "Doctor."

They're going to take Bakura to a doctor! Bakura's going to be okay. He'll live. I'm still probably going to die, but I've decided I'm okay with that already. My best friend is going to survive. Maybe one day he'll get out of here on his own.

I keep listening, hoping to hear more. There's the sound of a fist slamming into a wall, and if I had the energy, I would have jumped.

"Dammit, Mariku, he's _dying_. You'd seriously let him die just to cover your own ass?" Akefia yells, not even trying to keep his voice down.

"I'm treating him! He's going to recover! Akefia, we can't just waltz into a doctor's office with a kid who has no medical record or birth certificate, especially one whose face has been plastered on a million missing child posters!"

"What about a house call? Some doctors still do that, you know. You won't have to take him out in public, and I can pay off whoever it is to keep quiet."

"No."

"Mariku, you have to try some-"

"I don't have to do anything." Mariku has lost his anger. He just seems devoid of emotion. "And you have overstayed your welcome."

"But-"

"Goodbye, Akefia. I'll call you when your nephew is healthy again. Until that time, please stay the fuck away from my house."

The door slams. Mariku blows air out of his mouth for a minute before going up the stairs.

I fall back asleep, simply because there's nothing interesting going on. I wake up a little while later to Mariku coming back down the stairs. I don't think anything of it until I hear a strange noise outside the door.

Oh Ra, he's taking the nails out! I'm going to be freed!

Either that, or he thinks I've died and is coming to take my body. I really can't move, so it doesn't make a difference. I'm completely at his mercy. Somehow, I really don't care.

The sound of nails being pried from their place continues for a bit, interspersed with the constant _plick plick _as the nails hit the floor and the periodic _BANG! _as Mariku drops a board.

Then it stops. I can hear footsteps walking across the floor, away from the door and back again. The sound of the lock turning.

And there's light.

I have to shut my eyes against the sudden brightness, it hurts so much. I've been in the dark for days, and my eyes have gotten used to it. They burn under the light.

But still, I'm grateful.

Mariku's hands find my hair, and he's dragging me out. I'm aware of the pain, but not fully. I'm too out of it.

He drops me in the middle of the floor. I keep my eyes squeezed shut, because the light still hurts.

There's a pause, and then Mariku sighs. He walks across the room and gets something out of a cupboard. I hear the sink turn on, then off again. He comes back.

His hand is at the back of my neck, pushing me into a sitting position. Something touches my lips. Water! Oh, sweet water. My swelling tongue instantly decompresses the instant the liquid hits it. My mouth is no longer a desert. And the water is going down my throat, chasing away the fire and leaving coolness in its place.

And it's gone. Mariku takes the glass away. My hand goes up, trying desperately to hold onto my lifeline, the water. Mariku holds it out of my reach. "Whoa, there. Let's take this in baby steps. You were under there for a couple days, you don't want to get sick."

My stomach instantly clenches with anger as I remember Bakura. He's sick, and Mariku won't help him. He shouldn't be lecturing me on not getting sick myself.

Mariku walks away, and I find that I can sit up by myself. I have to lean back on my palms, but I can do it. I try opening my eyes a bit. It hurts, but not as much as before. I keep them cracked open for a few seconds before closing them again.

Mariku takes my arm and hauls me to my feet. My knees shake beneath me. I can't hold myself up, but I can lean into Mariku's grip and stay upright that way. He pulls me across the floor, and I do my best to keep my feet moving along. I stumble a bit, but I manage.

I try to keep my eyes open as he pulls me along. I can manage it now, I only need short breaks from the light.

He fiddles with the backdoor for a minute before it swings open. It's snowed since we tried to escape. The ground is covered in white. My stomach drops when I realize that I've really been here that long. It was summer when Mariku took me away from my brother and sister. And now snow is falling.

Mariku pulls me out. I'm dizzy from the lack of food, so I trip down the stairs and hit his back. He _hmphs_, but doesn't say anything else. He begins to pull me along the yard.

"See that?" Mariku points to the fence. I look. The fence has been topped with loops of wire. "Electrified barbed wire. It won't kill you, but I wouldn't advise touching."

The sight of the shed just depresses me. I thought I'd never have to go back. When we get closer I see that Mariku has nailed boards over the windows. So we can't look out anymore.

We get to the door. There's a new keypad next to the frame, kinda like the ones on the storage rooms at the museum Father works at.

Mariku taps some numbers in, but he holds me in back so I can't see. The keypad lets out two high-pitched beeps. Then he reaches up to his neck, unclasping a thin gold chain and sliding his key off. "Bakura told me how you two got out. You gotta have both the code and the key to get out now, good luck getting either."

The door swings open, and Mariku pushes me forward onto the floor. I look up from the ground. The shed looks different. Because there's no sunlight, sure, but also because Bakura's not here.

I hear footsteps, and then the door closes. I look back. Mariku is carefully locking the door back up. He puts the key back on his necklace. I notice that the keypad on the inside has no numbers. Just white squares.

Mariku turns and looks at me. His face is angry, but his eyes look sad.

He turns away and starts moving towards the fridge. "Sit down. I'll get you something to eat, then we can talk."

I'm shaking, but I crawl over to the chair and pull myself into it. Mariku opens the fridge and takes something out. He must have gone shopping and stocked it. I guess I should be a little happy. He wasn't intending to kill us.

He bangs some pans around and goes over to the stove, slamming the pan down and turning the burner on. He drops a piece of red meat into the pan, and it sizzles. My heart sinks. He's going to make me eat meat, but what can I do? I'm so hungry. I need the food. I need whatever Mariku gives me.

Mariku makes me a burger, which a bun and cheese and everything. He takes a can of Sprite out of the fridge and brings it over to the table. I look up at him, silently begging for my food. He stares down at me dispassionately.

"You understand why I withheld food and water from you, right Marik?"

I nod, just wanting the food.

"Then tell me. Why did you deserve this punishment?"

I can't answer a question like that right now! I'm so hungry, I can't think of anything else. Maybe after my food…

"Well, Marik?"

I just have to think of an answer that'll make him happy. Then I can have my food. Then I can eat…

"Because…" I try to say. It's hard. My voice is quiet. I swallow, hoping that it will help. "Because I tried to run away."

"And why was that a bad decision?"

I start to cry a bit, but I try not to show it. "Because it hurt other people."

That's true. It hurt Bakura.

Mariku shifts. I think he likes my answer a little better than my previous ones. "Correct, Marik, you did hurt other people. You know you hurt Bakura, since he's been sick, but you also hurt Akefia and myself. You rejected us, and everything we've done for you."

I look down at my lap. I don't want Mariku to see that I'm crying. Mariku continues.

"But you would have caused a lot more pain if your plan worked. To me, to Akefia, to Bakura, even to yourself. Marik, I take care of you, I feed you and give you all of this-" he gestures to the shed. "-because I love you. But you tried to reject my love and run away, so I had to show you what life would be like without my love. It isn't nice, is it?"

I shake my head.

"I thought so. So Marik, I sincerely hope that you've learned your lesson, because if you try to leave a second time," He sets the plate and Sprite down in front of me. I have to force myself from tearing into the food as Mariku leans his face in, our noses nearly touching. "I will make you beg to die. I will hunt down that brother and sister you seem to love so much, and I'll slit their throats. And I'll make you watch. I'll torture you like I do Bakura now. I will make your life a living hell. I don't want to do this to you, my Marik, so please don't make me."

He sits back in his chair, a satisfied smile on his face. He keeps his eyes intently set on my face.

His threat has left me shaking. He'd…hurt Rishid and Ishizu? But why? They haven't done anything. Haven't they been through enough?

Mariku begins to look impatient. I pick up the burger, trying not to gag. I can do this. I have to be compliant now. For my family.

I take a bite. It's…good. I actually really like the taste, but then I remember it's made from the corpse of a dead animal and I have to force myself not throw up the nothing that's in my stomach.

I chew, and force the meat down. I take another bite, then another.

Finally, the entire burger is gone and my stomach is hurting. Mariku stands up and walks around the table.

"There we go. You really are a good boy when you behave." He presses his lips to my forehead. "I'm going to go back to Bakura now, hopefully he'll be healed up soon and he can move back in with you." He pauses to look around the room. "Yeah. I'll have Bakura back in here soon. Don't worry about him."

He tells me he loves me again as he walks out, locking the door once with his key and electronically locking me in. I hear the _beep beep_. I wonder if I can believe Mariku. I wonder if Bakura is really going to get better like he said. Even though he told me not to, I worry.

* * *

**Friday, November 26, 2004**

**Evening**

I can't stand being here. I just can't. I can't be here alone. I don't know how Bakura did it for so long. I'm going crazy.

It's too quiet in here. I never realized exactly how quiet. I think Bakura once mentioned to me that when Mariku was insulating the walls, before Bakura was brought here, he soundproofed the entire shed. Which makes sense. I haven't heard a lot of outside noises since I got here. But I guess I just never noticed it, because Bakura has always been here. Even though Bakura doesn't talk a whole lot, he still makes noise.

But now Bakura's not here. And all I can hear is the hum of the refrigerator. I keep the television on constantly, even when I'm trying to sleep, just to hear someone's voice. It drives me crazy.

I'm also dying to talk to someone else. Mariku comes in every night, but he doesn't talk to me much. He also doesn't want to have sex, which is weird. He sits on the couch and has me sit on his lap. Sometimes he wraps his arms around my waist and just holds me like that, but usually he wants to make out. I think it's really gross, but Mariku likes it, so I just try not to think about it too much.

I want to ask Mariku how Bakura's doing, but I'm too afraid to ask. He seems distracted. He's not as smiley as before. I can't tell if that's because he's still angry with us or because he just doesn't like to be away from Bakura when he's so sick. I almost tell him not to come and see me, so he can stay with Bakura and make sure he gets better, but I don't think I could go even a day without at least some interaction. I feel guilty and selfish-don't I want Bakura to get better?

My days are filled with watching TV and sleeping. There's nothing else to do. I can't read, I can't work on schoolwork. I'm just too filled up with worry. I can't concentrate. I have to distract myself. Somehow.

I do keep the shed cleaned up and organized. Bakura will be so happy when he gets back. He's always hated how I disorganize everything.

I wait for Mariku to bring Bakura up when he visits, but he never does. So I don't know when Bakura is coming back.

Mariku looks especially tired today. I can see the dark circles underneath his eyes. When he sits down at the table, he presses his fingers to his temples like he's in pain.

He's been like this a lot lately. Tired and restless. But it's worse today.

I shift uncomfortably.

"Is something wrong?" I ask carefully. Bakura is on my mind. Bakura, Bakura, Bakura. When Bakura gets back, then I can stop worrying. But as long as Bakura is away from me, I can't relax.

"Yeah, something is fucking wrong." Mariku snaps. He looks up to glare at me for a second before returning his fingers to his temples again.

I look down. I have to ask. I need to know.

"How's Bakura?" I ask.

Mariku looks up at me, anger evident in his eyes. "How's Bakura? How's Bakura?! Well, he's coughing up blood, and I had to get a nebulizer so he'd have an easier time breathing. He can't talk. He just lays there, struggling to breath." He closes his eyes, running a hand through his spiky hair. "He can't eat anything anymore. He can barely retain fluids. I stay up half the night just to make sure his chest keeps moving. He's dying, Marik." He covers his face with his hand. "Oh god, he's dying…"

I've had the wind knocked out of me before. The only instant that sticks out in my mind is last year, helping Rishid hang up Christmas lights on the roof. Ishizu didn't want me climbing up and down the ladder when it was icy out; she didn't want Rishid doing it either but she couldn't really tell him what to do. Rishid promised he'd keep me safe but I did slip off, once. I was close to the ground and I wasn't hurt, but I had to lie there for a while, just trying to catch my breath.

That's how I feel now. No air. None. I can't breathe. Maybe this is fitting. This is how Bakura feels right now.

"Haven't you tried a doctor?" I whisper. I ignore how angry Mariku got when Akefia suggested it a few days ago. All that matters is Bakura, and Bakura getting better.

Mariku takes his hand away from his face. "No. No, god, I can't take him to a doctor. Not without someone figuring out who he is." Mariku gets up, pacing around the room like a caged puppy. "They'd take you boys away from me. They'd never let me see you again. I'd go back to prison. I can't…" He stops abruptly, covering his face with both his hands.

He stands there for a moment, before suddenly ripping his hands from his face. He whirls around, glaring venomously at me. "It's all your fault, you know." He spits, his lip curling. "If you hadn't come up with that stupid plan, Bakura wouldn't have fallen into the pond and he would be fine now."

I look down. I don't answer. I know he's right.

Mariku starts moving towards me. "He's up in my room, coughing out his lungs, and you're here, warm and comfortable. If he dies, you know, I'm holding you responsible."

"No!" I cry out. Bakura isn't going to die. He can't die. He's Bakura.

"No?" Mariku puts his hand on the back of one of the chairs, cocking his head as he looks at me. "No, it's not your fault? You don't think you're responsible?"

Tears are streaming down my face. My shoulders shake as I try to brace myself for talking. "No, I am, it's just-"

"Just what? You can't take responsibility for killing your friend?"

"I DIDN'T TRY TO HURT HIM!"

Mariku looks shocked that I've actually yelled back. I am too. I didn't decide to do it. It just happened.

After a few seconds of wide-eye staring, Mariku scoffs and looks the other way. "I guess I should have expected this from you. You are extremely selfish, after all." He sighs. "I guess I better pick a nice spot to bury the kid…

"No." I say as I move out of my chair. I get to my knees once I reach Mariku, grabbing one of his hands and gripping it like a lifeline. Mariku doesn't react. "Please, take him to the hospital, or get him a doctor, or just get him some medicine! Please! I'll do anything you want, just please help him!"

I'm literally on my knees begging for Bakura's life. I don't know what else to do. I don't know what to offer.

"Anything I want?" He mutters before sitting down in a chair, still looking sad and angry. I start to get up, but Mariku tells me to kneel again.

Mariku's hands go to his pants button, and his pants are unzipped and his penis is out. It's completely limp. If I weren't so scared and worried about Bakura, I would laugh at it.

But not today. Today, I just look up and stare into Mariku's cold, unforgiving eyes.

"You said anything I wanted. If you really care about your friend, you'll do this."

Right. This is for Bakura. I can do this for Bakura. So he can get a doctor. So he can get better.

"I don't know how." I say, my voice weak. If Mariku is annoyed, he doesn't show it.

"I'll tell you what to do. I taught Bakura how to do this. For starters, just put it in your mouth."

I grab the base of it and stare for a minute before wrapping my mouth around it. It tastes...absolutely disgusting. I want to stop. I don't like this.

For Bakura. I can do anything for Bakura.

I close my eyes and follow the rest of Mariku's instructions carefully.

* * *

**Wednesday, December 1, 2004**

**Midday**

Mariku hasn't come back since I gave him the blowjob.

I'm scared. I'm scared of what's been happening to Bakura. Bakura needs to be okay. He just has to be.

On top of that, I think I'm starting to go crazy. I haven't spoken to anyone in nearly a week. I write a lot of letters to my brother and sister, but sometimes I pretend they're here too, and I talk to them. Sometimes I think I'm hearing or seeing things that aren't really there. It's scary. I just stay in bed, my vision blurring together. The TV volume is turned all the way up.

I can't shake the fear. Did Mariku get Bakura help? Did he honestly get him help?

He had to. Bakura can't die. He just can't.

It's hard to sleep along in the bed. I need Bakura with me. I need Bakura to sleep.

My ears perk up when I hear the _beep beep _of the door. I jump out of bed and race over to the door.

Mariku and Mariku alone opens it. He steps in, taking one long look at me and smiling to himself. A blank look quickly slides over the smile.

He closes the door, locking it twice before turning around. His face is solemn now. He stares at me for a long second, and the knowing floods through me. And my whole world turns to ice.

He doesn't even need to say it, but he does anyway.

"Bakura is dead."

* * *

**So it's nearly 3 AM, I told myself I was going to go to bed early so I could get up early and do homework all day tomorrow...yeah, that happened. Plus I've been throwing up ever since I got home from work and I think I should probably rest soon. So I'm gonna wrap this up quick.**

**Um, I don't have much to say about the chapter? I don't really remember anything that requires explaining. Just keep in mind that Mariku has Bipolar Disorder and you should be good.**

**I have finals the week after next, and while none of my tests are challenging, I do have a lot of (pointless) projects that must be handed in, so if I do not make my deadline for the next chapter, please don't be angry. I will be spending the entire day tomorrow just working on homework (Such a great use of time. Doing homework when I could be doing something, I don't know, productive. Beneficial.) so hopefully that'll put a big dent in the pile. **

**That being said, send me your thoughts! They will make me happy as I battle the mountain of doom and despair. Also they will encourage me to get this crap done and get back to writing. **

**-Big C**


	11. Ghosts

**I own a guinea pig who is currently trying to chew his way out of his cage. I don't own Yugioh.**

* * *

It's cold. So, so cold.

My insides are frozen. My blood has turned to ice, my heart frosted over. It still beats, even though I wish it wouldn't.

Bakura is dead. Bakura has died. He's gone. Never coming back. We will never sleep in the same bed again. We will never eat together again. I won't be able to see him anymore. Never.

My heart thuds painfully, fighting against the ice surrounding it. Is this how Bakura felt when he was dying? Freezing from the inside out?

"You promised you'd help him." I whisper, my voice hard. I don't allow myself to cry. I don't deserve it.

This is my fault.

Mariku lets out a breath and runs his hands through his hair. "I did. I got him medicine. He seemed to be getting better…" He pauses to look out the boarded-up window. "There just wasn't anything I could do about it."

I'm silent. Bakura is dead. There's nothing to say.

"I'd been keeping him untied for a while now, he could hardly move anyway. I haven't been taking any jobs either, so I could stay home and take care of him. I went to the drug store and got medicine to treat him with. I held him whenever I could to keep him warm."

Mariku looks at me expectantly, but I don't say anything. He sighs and pushes his hand through his hair. He keeps going.

"I was holding him when we fell asleep last night, and he was still breathing then. But when I woke up, he was cold. I tried to find his pulse, but he was already gone. He died in my arms."

My fault. This is all my fault. My fault for not getting Bakura to safety, to freedom. My fault for coming up with the stupid plan in the first place. Who cares about freedom? We may have been stuck in here forever, but at least Bakura would still be alive.

Bakura is dead. My best friend is dead. And it's all my fault.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I know you two were close."

Mariku touches my shoulder. I don't react.

"Say something, Marik. Talk to me."

I killed my best friend. I killed Bakura.

"What are you going to do with the body?" I ask. My voice is completely devoid of emotion. Bakura isn't here anymore. Bakura is dead. All that's left is his shell. He's gone. Bakura is gone.

"Akefia and I are going to bury him later today. We'll put him by the pond. It's a nice place. Really pretty. He'd like it."

His voice breaks during his last sentence. He looks away, bringing his sleeve to his face. I watch.

"Don't do that." I say, and Mariku turns to me with a confused expression. "Let his family have his body back. Let them have the closure."

Mariku shakes his head. "No. The police will get it first. They'll do all sorts of tests on the body. They'll figure it out. I can't have that."

My hands make fists. I want to get up, scream, tear things from the walls. "But what about his dad and his brother? They don't know what happened to him. They deserve to know Bakura's dead."

"Marik, calm down-"

"Haven't you done enough to them? You took Bakura away from them, now you're fine with just letting them go on not knowing forever? Don't they deserve to know? Don't-"

Mariku cuts me off with a slap to the face. I'm on the floor. He's still hitting me, and my face is stinging. My throat hurts.

Then, as suddenly as he started, Mariku stops. He wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head.

Bakura's dead. Bakura's gone.

"It'll be nice. We'll plant flowers. It'll be a pretty spot."

I feel like I'm collapsing inwards.

"I want to see him. Let me out so I can watch."

"I can't do that, Marik." Mariku draws away, kissing me on the forehead. "You don't want to see him the way he is. He lost so much weight, and…you don't want to remember him like this."

I'm silent. There's nothing to say.

"I'll let you out in the springtime, we'll plant the flowers together. You, me, and Akefia. We'll even let you choose what to plant. Do you know what you want there?"

I think. Ishizu once told me that roses are supposed to symbolize love. I loved Bakura, loved him with all my heart. "Roses. White ones. To match his hair."

"Of course." He kisses me, on the nose this time. "Akefia is making the casket, he went to the store and got some nice wood for it. It's going to be pretty. I better go help him with it…"

Mariku gets up, muscles creaking. I get to my feet. "Wait."

I run over to the chest of drawers, opening the one that contains all of my possessions. I reach in and take out my golden armband. I look at it for a minute. I didn't always live with Mariku. I didn't always know Bakura. I once lived with my father, with my older brother and sister. I once had a different life than this. My armband is proof of that. It's all the proof I have.

I turn around. "Put this on Bakura. Bury him with it. Please."

Mariku looks confused for a minute, but then his face goes blank. "Of course. Of course I will." He bends down, pressing his lips to my forehead. "I love you, Marik. I love you so much. I'm so sorry this happened."

I don't answer. There's no point.

* * *

**Thursday, December 2, 2004**

**Afternoon**

I haven't gotten up. Not since Mariku left. Once he was out the door, I went back to bed. I pulled the covers over me and I lied there. I haven't moved. I listen to the television blare endlessly in the background. I push myself into a sitting position when the news comes on, but that's it.

It's funny, how nobody knows. People don't know about Bakura's death. If Mariku dumped his body, people would know. It would be all over the news.

But only three people know where he's buried. Two aren't telling, and I'm stuck in here. So the news is devoid of Bakura. That doesn't make him any less dead.

He's dead.

The door beeps and Mariku comes in. I don't move.

Mariku sits on the edge of my bed. My bed. Just mine now.

"Marik? How are you doing?"

I don't answer.

"Marik, I know this is hard for you, but you need to talk to me."

I'm silent. Silent as Bakura, who's dead.

"I think you'll feel better if you talk to me. You need to talk to someone. You can't just stare at the wall all day."

Why not? That's what Bakura had to go through. Left here, all by himself. Chained up, blindfolded. The last few years of Bakura's life were terrible. And I couldn't make it any better. I killed him instead.

"Have you eaten anything? I'm going to make you something to eat, okay?"

The bed creaks as he gets up. Mariku goes over to the fridge, taking some ingredients out.

Soon he sets a plate and glass on the table. He comes back over to me. One hand on my face, brushing my hair away. "I made you a turkey sandwich. It's on the table. Can you eat it for me?"

I don't answer. I just keep staring. Mariku sighs.

"Will you at least drink the juice for me? I put some medicine in it to help you. It'll make you feel better." He brings the glass over, pushing me up so I can sit. He presses the glass to my lips. I drink. It's good, but I can taste something other than orange juice in there.

"Good boy." Mariku takes the glass away. "Now can you get up and eat for me?"

I fall back down. Pull the covers up over my head.

"Dammit, Marik, I-" He stops himself. "It's okay. I'm going out now. I'm going to give you time. Just eat the sandwich."

He leaves.

* * *

**Thursday, December 2, 2004**

**Night**

Something's wrong.

I feel different. My head is all weird.

It's because of the medicine Mariku made me drink, I'm sure. He came back to check on me a little bit ago, saying that Bakura was buried. They couldn't bury him yesterday, because the ground was too frozen. They had to wait to dig the grave.

Bakura is buried.

He's in the ground.

All alone.

Mariku set a bottle on the counter. He said they're pills to make me feel better. He gave me one before he left. He told me I should take a pill when I wake up and one halfway through the day. He said it would help me cope with Bakura being dead and everything.

I don't like what the pills do to my brain. But they take away the empty feeling I have when I think about Bakura, so I agree to keep taking them.

Maybe if I keep taking these, I can forget about Bakura. Maybe I can forget he ever happened.

* * *

**Friday, December 3, 2004**

**Evening**

Do I even exist? What makes me real? My flesh, my bones? If that's my proof for being real, how do I know I'm not a figment of my imagination?

I must only exist when Mariku comes in to see me. Or is it Mariku who's not real? What if the interior of this shed is all that's in the universe? Then what is Mariku? Maybe he just comes into reality whenever he steps through the door.

Or maybe it really is me who doesn't exist. That must be it.

Did Bakura ever even live here? That seems like a ridiculous question, because I can remember. Remember his face, his voice, the way he moved. Remember his life. But if I don't exist, then he must not have either. Bakura might have been fake. Something my brain came up with, to cope with not existing.

What about Rishid, Ishizu, Father? I guess they exist, since they're outside, where Mariku lives and everything. Do they remember me even though I don't exist anymore? Was I ever there? I couldn't be, since I don't exist.

I want Mariku to come back. Maybe he'll convince me that I exist. I just need someone to talk to.

I keep seeing things. I'll be laying in my bed and I'll see the bathroom door opening out of the corner of my eye, and I'll jump up, thinking I'll see Bakura walk through.

But he isn't here. Bakura's dead.

I have a hard time trying to figure out what's actually happening inside the shed and what's not. Sometimes I feel like the entire place is on fire. Red blood drips down the walls. Ice coats the floor.

But it's not real. But maybe it is? I'm not real myself. Who am I to decide what else is real or imaginary?

Maybe none of this is real. Maybe the entire world was just dreamed up. What makes us real?

I don't like these pills. I don't take one. And then I remember.

The shed exists. It exists in the real world, it's only a little part of it. A tiny, insignificant part of it. Mariku is real, real enough to take me away from my family. I'm real. Bakura is real. Bakura was real.

I don't want this to be real.

_Please don't be real._

* * *

**Saturday, December 4, 2004**

**Morning**

_Dear Rishid and Ishizu-_

_Bakura's dead. It's my fault. It's all my fault._

_I tried, I really tried to get away from him. I tried to get us both away. But I couldn't. I failed. And now Bakura's dead. And I'm never going to get out of here. I deserve it. I deserve to be left alone with Mariku._

_Since I'm not ever getting out of here, I might as well tell you what Mariku does to us._

_Bakura called it rape once. He said that's what you call it when someone has sex with you and you don't want it._

_I don't know how many times Mariku has had sex with me, I've lost count. He's had sex with Bakura a lot more. He hurt Bakura when they had sex, Bakura always had bruises and cuts from what Mariku did to him. He would always tie Bakura up, even though Bakura just lied there. He took Bakura away from his home when he was seven years old just so they could have sex. I don't understand why sex makes him so crazy._

_Bakura is dead now, so I guess maybe Mariku will be doing these things to me now. I don't really know. I don't care. He can do whatever he wants with me._

_He hasn't done anything like that to me yet. He just has me lay down and fucks me. Hard. It hurts, but it's not too bad. Not as bad as Bakura. He made me suck on his penis once, before Bakura was dead and I was trying to get Mariku to help him. It was really gross. But I did it for Bakura. I didn't do it for Mariku._

_I want people to know. I want people to know there was a Bakura Florence Touzoku, and he lived to be twelve years old. He liked drawing and watching horror movies, and I loved him. He was my best friend. He is my best friend. Forever. I love you, Bakura._

_-Marik_

* * *

**Saturday, December 4, 2004**

**Night**

I'm staring at the fridge, thinking I should probably at least make it look like I'm eating so Mariku doesn't get mad. And then I see it.

Vegetable oil.

The bottle brings back bad memories, both because they involve Bakura and because of what Bakura tried to do.

Bakura. I want to see Bakura again.

I don't think as I pour the contents of the oil over the floor. All I think about is Bakura. Bakura is dead. Bakura has gone away, to the afterlife. Heaven. I don't know.

I want to see him again. To do that, I'll have to go to him.

There's only one way to do that, and it doesn't come with a way back. That's okay, though. I don't need to come back. I'll have Bakura. He's all I'll ever need.

I'm going to see Bakura again.

I didn't get it when I woke up and found Bakura with the knife. I didn't want to get it. But now I get it.

There's only one way out.

I go take the blanket Bakura made and wrap myself in it. It'll burn. It'll help me burn. Burn away the chains that keep me here, with Mariku. Let me fly. I will fly away with Bakura.

I sit down on the floor, the oil soaking into my sweatpants. I realize that I'm going to have to start the fire in some way. I get up again.

The stove was Bakura's choice. It'll be easy, just turn it on and instant fire. I reach for the dial. I turn it. The stove comes alight.

Now I just need it to spread. I grab a handful of our blanket in my fist and raise my hand.

_Burnburnburnburnburn-_

I'm burned.

I snatch my hand away.

_Ow. Ow. _

Rishid told me to always put cold water on a burn immediately. I rush over to the sink and turn the cold tap on, thrusting my hand under the cold stream.

Rishid. Rishid. I can't kill myself. I can't die. What would that do to Rishid? It would kill him. It would honestly kill him.

I shed the blanket, and I turn the burner off.

I find a small tube of burn ointment in the bathroom, and I spread a thin layer over my burn. It's not bad. It hurts, but all burns do.

I take towels out, all my clothes. (Not Bakura's, I leave everything that's his alone.) I spread them all over the liquid, soaking it up. I toss the oily, gross stuff in the laundry basket. I'll take care of it tomorrow.

Bakura's blanket is back in my hands. I drag myself over to the bed. I collapse on it, wrapping myself in the fabric. I put my nose into a fold and inhale. I can't smell Bakura anymore. Bakura's gone. I can't reach him.

I can't die. I'm trapped here. Without Bakura.

I bury my face in the pillow and let the tears flow.

* * *

**Sunday, December 5, 2004**

**Night**

Mariku hasn't been in today. It's weird. Since Bakura died, he's been in twice a day.

I don't know how Mariku feels about Bakura dying. He seemed upset when he first told me, but he's hardly mentioned him since.

He said Akefia was sad about it. Just sad. He didn't regret anything. He didn't regret kidnapping Bakura in the first place, bringing him here. Didn't regret raping him over and over and over again. Didn't regret bringing him back to Mariku's and leaving him to waste away. He was just sad he died.

At least they made Bakura a coffin. Even if it was probably just a box Akefia nailed together. They could have just stuffed his body in a trash bag and buried it. I guess that shows that they loved Bakura, at least a little bit.

But if they really loved Bakura, wouldn't they have let him go? Or at least gotten him real help?

_Beep beep. _Mariku's coming in. I look over, bracing myself.

The door swings open, Mariku standing in the snow. He's holding a small paper bag in his right hand, and draped over his left arm-

_No._

A small, skinny person. With snowy white hair.

Mariku throws the bag onto the counter. He shoves the body forward, onto the floor before giving me a long, stern look and turning around, going back out the door. _Beep beep._

I run over. My hands in his unique white hair. Fingertips touching his pale, pale skin.

Bakura groans.

I cry.

* * *

**Sunday, December 5, 2004**

**Later Night**

Bakura is in bed, but he isn't asleep. He seems weak, but not tired. I'm just happy he's here. I don't care that he isn't talking.

After I was done crying and hugging him, I filled the bathtub up with hot water and put him in. I practically had to carry him over to the bathroom, he's so weak. I stripped him and eased him into the hot water, trying not to wince at his prominent skeleton.

Bakura eyes immediately slipped closed once he was in the water. I stayed right by his side, kneeling on the floor and holding his hand. I wanted to cry again, but for a different reason. Bakura's body was covered-completely _covered_-with marks. Bruises, cuts, burns. Most had healed partially, but a few were obviously new. And it made my stomach boil, to know that Mariku had been hurting him even when he was so sick and weak.

I drained the tub when the water started turning cold. I had to keep Bakura warm.

I left Bakura in the steamy bathroom, wrapped up in freshly washed towels, and ran out into the main room. I turned our space heater (Mariku never did get us a new one) up high and grabbed Bakura's favorite pajama bottoms, a pair of his underwear, my warmest sweatshirt, and a pair of thick socks. I dried Bakura's hair and helped him into his clothes. Now he's laying in bed, eyes closed. Shivering.

I turn the oven on, hoping that it'll help warm the place up. I'm starting to sweat, but that doesn't matter. Bakura needs to be warm.

Mariku left a note on the paper bag. I run over and pick it up, tape peeling off the bag. Mariku has written out instructions for giving Bakura medicine. I open the bag. Pills. I check the note again. Mariku has already given Bakura his night medication, so I don't have to start counting out pills until the morning.

"Can you eat something?" I ask Bakura. He cracks open his eyes and lifts his head, shaking it no. I put the bag down. I should probably be hungry right now, but I'm too happy to feel hungry.

I go back over to the bed and slip myself in. Bakura has closed his eyes again and appears to be sleeping. I wrap my arms around him and hold him close.

"He told me you were dead."

Bakura's silent, then his arms come around my neck.

I wet my lips and continue. "He said you died in your sleep and he buried you by the pond. He said Akefia made your coffin."

Bakura's eyes are still closed, but his mouth moves. "Bollocks…"

I can't help but laugh. I press my lips to his forehead and hold him tighter. A tear slips down my cheek. "I'm sorry. It's my fault you're so sick. It's my fault you were punished like that."

Bakura stirs, eyes opening. "No…"

My hold on his waist tightens. I don't want him to overexert himself. I press our foreheads together, wanting to be closer to him. It's not close enough. "What did he do to you?" I whisper.

Bakura's eyes turn down, away from mine. "He-he tied me up, tied me to his headboard. He kept fu-fucking me…" He breathes. "e-even though I told him I couldn't breathe. He kept hitting me with a bunch of things, and he took c-candles and lighters and burned me with them…he stuck needles into my skin a bunch of different times. He took p-pictures of it all…" He stops, wheezing a bit.

I'm filled with this burning rage, this hatred for Mariku. How could he do these things, things that hurt Bakura so much? Especially when he was so sick?

But I know my anger is misplaced. It's my fault Bakura was punished like this. It was my dumb plan to escape that made Mariku do it. I might as well have pushed those pins into Bakura's skin myself.

"He mostly stopped it when I got really sick…" Bakura continues. "When my uncle came in to look at me and told Mariku I was going to die, he stopped doing it. He's h-hit me a few times, just when he's gotten mad because I couldn't respond…"

"He told me he got you medicine and was staying home to take care of you."

Bakura nods. "Y-yeah. He kept me in his lap, kept the blankets around me…it was kind of nice. Except, I was, yo-you know. Dying." He tries to crack a smile, and I laugh.

Bakura closes his eyes, and I think he's falling asleep. Good. He needs the rest.

I kiss his forehead again. "I love you so much, Bakura."

He mumbles something back. I gather the blankets around us, hoping that I can keep him warm tonight. At least he's stopped shivering.

With Bakura in my arms, I'm the happiest I've been since Mariku kidnapped me. I'm not alone. I have my best friend, I have Bakura. As long as we have each other, we can survive here.

I've learned my lesson. I don't ever want Bakura taken from me again. We can't leave. We can't see our families again. Ever.

Rishid, Ishizu…I'll never see them again. Not unless Mariku lets me see them, which I doubt he'll do. They'll never know what happened to me. Bakura's family, his father and brother will never know what happened to him either.

But that's okay. That's going to have to be okay. I can't try to get us out again. The stakes are too high. We'll get hurt. Too hurt. I can't compromise Bakura's safety, my brother's and sister's safety. We're just going to have to survive.

At least Mariku gave me back Bakura. At least I can hold him now. I have something to be grateful for.

* * *

**So some of you fell for my tricks. Some of you saw right through me and knew Bakura wasn't really dead. I can't tell if I'm at fault for bad writing, or I just have super special awesome readers.**

**Writing the scenes with Mariku was confusing for me, because he's so damn…loving about it all. I tried to write it with Mariku telling himself that Bakura was really dead, so he would be able to successfully fool Marik. Mariku does really believe he 'loves' Bakura, and would be devastated if Bakura did die. He has extreme bipolar disorder, as well as a bunch of other wonderful mental diseases that we will be exploring soon.**

**And I couldn't resist…I had to give Bakura the middle name Florence. I originally put in Akefia, I figured he could be named after his uncle, but then that name occurred to me and I couldn't refuse.**

**So this is short, sorry…I've been sick. I don't know with what, but it wasn't very fun…I was having stomach issues for a few days, and then I had show choir practice a few days ago. Four hours of nonstop dancing, sharp pains in my stomach. Very fun. My choir teacher took pity on me and let me dance without my 3-inch heels, so that was nice. But I took the next day off. And I skipped school today as well, to leave early for a road trip. Fun week. (I only went to school on the days I had show choir…)**

**But I'm better now! I'm just stuck in the backseat of a van next to a crazy guinea pig, with my grandmother, Evil Stepsister, half-brother, and my father. (This is not everyone in my family…) I also don't have wifi, so we're going to try to steal some wifi so I can post this. This will be interesting…**

**-Chinny (My family is the Japanese version of the Weasleys.)**


	12. Gifts

**LA LA!**

**FRIG SHA LA!  
**

**THIS SHOW'S ABOUT PEOPLE PLAYING CARD GAMES!**

**AND LOTS OF VERY SEXY MEN!**

**If I owned Yugioh, this would totally be the opening theme song.**

* * *

**Monday, December 13, 2004**

**Evening**

Bakura is sitting at the table, pencil scratching away at his math homework. He says he's trying to make up for the school he missed while he was sick. I told him he should just rest instead of worrying about work, but he doesn't listen.

I'm on the couch, reading a book. One of Bakura's, _The DaVinci Code._ It's hard, but I'm doing pretty well. I'm writing down all the words I don't know and looking them up after each chapter.

Everything is back to normal. Like before our escape. Except Bakura's marks, and his ever-present coughing and wheezing. My fear of being alone.

Mariku visits at least once a day, but he doesn't say much. He always checks on Bakura, taking his temperature and making sure he's taking all his medicine. But then he goes. He doesn't touch us. He doesn't lecture us. It's weird, but I'm okay with it.

All I need is Bakura in here.

Akefia came in the other day, and the moment he walked through the door, I was filled with hate and anger. All aimed at the wrong person. Akefia was just protecting himself by bringing us back. If we had actually escaped, he would have gone to prison. He had to bring us back.

Akefia was really happy to see Bakura awake and responsive. Bakura was still spending most of his time in bed at that time, but he propped himself up with pillows so he could sit. Akefia sat down on the mattress and wrapped his arms around Bakura, stroking his hair and crying. He kept saying he was sorry, and he would never forgive himself if something actually happened to Bakura.

Bakura just stared off into the distance, barely saying a word. I kept my mouth shut during that visit as well. Akefia barely glanced at me on his way out.

I know I shouldn't feel angry. But I do. I feel so, so angry.

But I can only be angry at myself. I have to keep myself in check, keep telling myself that. Bakura almost dying was my fault.

Bakura doesn't talk as much as he used to. I think it's hard for him to get enough air. Mariku brought in his nebulizer, and sometimes he'll just sit at the table, breathing into it. I wonder if the damage to his lungs is permanent. I wonder if he'll always be sick.

I wonder if Mariku will ever fully forgive us. I know he said that he's forgiven us, but I know he really hasn't. Why would our windows still be boarded up? There are bars on the insides so we can't get to the pane, and Bakura told me that the glass had some weird material in it. Some polycarbonate mesh, I think he said. It makes the glass almost impossible to break. I can see it when I look at the window closely, it looks a bit like honeycomb in the glass.

And I wonder for the millionth time if Mariku is ever planning on letting us go. He said he wouldn't. I know he told us we'd never leave him. But we'll be adults someday. We'll be bigger. How is he going to keep us here? How can you keep adults trapped in a shed?

_Beep beep._

I hate that sound.

Mariku steps through the door, swiftly turning around and locking it back up again. He's really careful about that now. Keeping the door locked when he's in. I know he doesn't trust us anymore. I wonder if he ever will now.

"Boys," He says in a clipped voice, glancing at us both in turn. He has a small paper bag in hand, but I can't see what's in it. He goes over to Bakura, setting the bag down on the floor besides the table and pulling a white thermometer out of his pocket. "You know the drill, Bakura."

Bakura turns in his chair, sitting on it sideways. He opens his mouth and Mariku puts the thermometer in. His lips close around it, and he sits there in silence until the thermometer beeps and Mariku takes it out of his mouth.

"98.6. Third consecutive day you've been under 100. Good," Mariku nods. He puts the thermometer back in his pocket. He pulls out a chair, sitting down. This is different. "Sit down, Marik. We need to talk."

My heart is pounding in my mouth as I get to my feet and shuffle across the floor. I'm hoping he's going to formally forgive us. Tell us he knows we'll never try again. Why would we? There's too much at risk.

"Sit down, Marik," Mariku repeats as I hover above the remaining seat. My butt hits the seat. Mariku's eyes dart between both our faces. I can't read anything in his expression. I shift uncomfortably.

"I love you boys," Mariku says suddenly, the seriousness in his face somehow betraying the meaning of his words. "I love you both so much, and I want you to be happy here. I want to be able to give you things, to let you have some freedom. But you see, I can't do that if you're going to abuse my gifts. I can't let you have freedom if you're going to try to run away from me. Do you understand?"

Bakura and I nod mechanically. A small smile appears on Mariku's lips, but it soon fades away.

"I was planning on giving you both more freedom this spring. I was going to move Bakura into the spare room. I was going to let Marik outside during the day. But now that I know I can't trust either of you, well, that can't happen."

I look down. For some reason, I want to cry.

Outside. He was going to let me outside. Why couldn't I have waited a few months? I could have spent hours outside, everyday.

But I had to try to run. I ruined everything.

"I'm afraid I can't let either of you out for a while," Mariku continues. "I wish this wasn't the case, but you've forced me to make some hard decisions. There will be no going outside. There will be less food. You are being punished. And for the remainder of your punishment, you will wear these."

Mariku puts the bag on the table, reaching inside. Bakura's eyes go wide, a frightened expression appearing on his face. "Mariku, please, no…"

"You'll never learn if you don't wear it," Mariku says calmly as he removes something silver and round from the bag. "You two are dependant on me for everything. You _need _me. You belong to me. All this is is physical proof of ownership."

Mariku gets to his feet, walking over to Bakura's seat. A few tears slip down Bakura's cheeks, eyes closed. He sniffs. Mariku is directly behind him. "Look straight ahead."

Bakura does, and Mariku's hands are brushing away Bakura's long, long hair, holding it in a bun at the back of his head. He leans down, kissing the back of Bakura's neck once before slipping the metal around his neck.

He produces a silver key from his pocket, sliding it into the back of the collar and turning it. Bakura holds back a sob as the lock turns.

Mariku stands up and smiles. He pats Bakura's head as he continues to cry. He looks at me.

"I got one made for you too, Marik. I took that armband of yours and melted it down, used the gold to make this. I thought you'd appreciate it."

My stomach lurches. My armband is gone. My last piece of home. I feel like I'm going to throw up.

He takes the second collar out of the bag, grinning at me. Gold. Panic grips me. What if I can't breathe in it? What if it never comes off?

I'm shaking. I don't want that thing around my neck.

"Look at the wall," Mariku commands, behind me. I do. I feel his lips against the base of my neck, and then they're gone. And cold metal touches my skin.

I squeeze my eyes shut as he slips the collar around my neck. It's cold, and it rubs uncomfortably against my skin. I hear him fumbling around, and then the all too final _click _of the lock.

Home is gone. Mariku took that away from me.

"Fits like a glove. Looks great on you too."

I don't like it, I don't like it. It's thick, and it covers up a lot of my neck. I want it off.

I don't cry in front of Mariku. I have to stay strong.

Mariku sits back down, impassive expression back on his face. "Now Marik, I do recall you telling me that running away was your idea. Care to tell me about that?"

I look down. Tears sting at the corners of my eyes. I can't cry. I can't cry.

"Marik? I'm waiting."

I can't tell him about Bakura. I can't.

"I just…" I sniff, wiping my eyes on my sleeve. "I just wanted to go home."

Mariku's blank expression remains in place. "You are home. Right now."

Can't cry. I can't cry. "I wanted to see my fam…my brother and sister again."

"Ah," Mariku leans back, crossing his arms. "You wanted to see you brother and sister. The people who allowed your father to abuse you and never stepped in. You were willing to run away from the person who saved you from that to go back to _them_?"

He raises his eyebrows. I don't answer.

"Why, Marik? After everything I've done for you? You really wanted to go back to people who don't care about you?"

My hands make fists under the table. Rishid and Ishizu care about me. I know they do. They have to.

"They love me," I say in a whisper.

A long pause.

"What?"

I breathe in, filling my lungs with air before looking up. Bakura is looking at me with wide, worried eyes. I dare to look at Mariku. Veins have already begun to pop in his face. I swallow. I have to keep talking.

"They love me, and they're worried. I just…I didn't want them to worry anymore…"

This seems to relax Mariku a little bit. "Why do you care what they think?"

I look down at the floor. "I just don't want them to hurt."

"Their feelings don't matter, Marik. Our happiness here together is more important," He sounds calmer now. "You need to forget about your old family. You, me, Akefia, and Bakura are a family now. It's hard, but they'd want you to be happy."

Tears are running down my cheeks. I wipe them off with my sleeve. Mariku watches me dispassionately.

"I'm sorry," I say. "I wasn't thinking."

"Damn right you weren't," Mariku sounds gruff. He closes his eyes, inhaling deeply before opening them again. "But you're going to make better decisions from now on. We can all learn from this."

I nod.

Mariku gets to his feet, walking over to me. His arms slip around my waist. "I love you, Marik. I don't like to punish you, but I have to so we can be a family again," He kisses my cheek. "I'm going to come back tonight, and we're going to have sex. I'm not going to prepare you, and it's going to hurt, but it's supposed to hurt. It's punishment. Just remember that I love you and that I don't like punishing you."

He pulls away. I'm numb. I'm completely numb.

Bakura's face is blank as Mariku bends down to hug him. "I love you, my little kitten. I'm going to give you a break because I want you to get healthy as fast as possible. I want you to rest," He pulls up, picking up his bag and walking to the door. He pauses before he begins the unlocking process, looking back on us and smiling.

"I love you both so, so much."

I reach up and finger my collar, and I can't help but wonder if Mariku's words are really true.

* * *

**Thursday, December 23, 2004**

**Morning**

I'm twelve years old today.

I was eleven when I last saw my family. I was eleven when I was kidnapped, brought here, raped for the first time. Now I'm twelve.

I don't feel twelve. I don't feel eleven either. I just feel like Marik.

Bakura wakes me up at ten, face blank as he bends over the bed. "Happy birthday, Marik."

I don't say anything back.

Bakura turns around, going over to the cabinet where he keeps his art stuff. "I drew you some pictures. It's kind of a sucky present, but I couldn't get you a real one."

"You didn't have to get me anything," I say, swinging my feet out from the bed. Bakura shrugs, depositing the pictures on the table. He turns to the refrigerator.

"I'm making chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. They're your favorite, right?" He doesn't stop to listen to my response. I cross the room, picking up the two pieces of paper.

On top is a picture of me and Bakura, our arms around each other, smiling. This is inaccurate, since Bakura never smiles, but it makes me happy. I'm wearing my armband in the drawing and my school uniform. Bakura is wearing a white sweater with a green undershirt. Neither of us are wearing our collars. He must have used watercolors to color the picture. Bakura's such a good artist, they almost look real. I remove the top picture to look at the second, and my heart stops.

Bakura…has drawn my family.

He didn't draw Father, but I'm secretly kind of happy about that. It's just me and Rishid and Ishizu. We aren't smiling, but we're not unhappy. Our faces are blank, like old family portraits. We're even dressed kind of weird, all fancy and everything. Rishid and I are wearing tailcoats and expensive-looking shirts, Ishizu is wearing a strapless black dress and a diamond necklace. The picture cuts off at our midsections, so I can't tell what else we're supposed to be wearing. The coloring is done differently than the other picture, with only whites, blacks, and browns used.

So, so beautiful.

Something wet hits the back of my hand. I realize I'm crying, and I jerk the pictures away, not wanting them to get wet. Bakura looks over from the stove.

"Do you like them?" He asks with a hint of worry in his voice.

I nod, wiping at my tears. "They're beautiful. Th-thank you, Bakura…"

I put the pictures down, burying my face in my arms. Bakura is at my side, fingers running through my hair. I start to sob.

"I just…I miss them so much…"

Bakura wraps his arms around my shoulders, and I bury my face in the softness of his stomach. I continue to cry, soaking his shirt. Bakura's hands move up and down my back, soothingly.

"I know…I'm sorry."

I wrap my arms around his midsection. "I just want to see them again. I get scared thinking something might happen to one of them and I'll never see them again."

"I'm sorry," Bakura repeats, holding me tighter. "I'm sorry I ruined our escape. You could have gone home."

I pull away, shaking my head. "No. Mariku and Akefia would have gone to prison, and that wouldn't be right…"

"Still."

My hands go up, cupping Bakura's face. He looks down on me with sad, half-lidded eyes. I bite on my lip before speaking. "I was just happy you came back. I want to see my brother and sister again but…" my breath seems to leave me. I suck in a lungful of air, and it doesn't seem nearly enough. My arms around Bakura's neck, pulling him down. I hug him tight. "Seeing them isn't worth losing you, Bakura."

Bakura hugs me back, stroking my spine as I continue to cry. He lets the pancakes burn.

* * *

**Thursday, December 23, 2004**

**Midday**

Mariku walks in with a number of packages in his hands, just like Bakura's birthday. He smiles and kisses me, and I wish he hadn't bothered coming in.

Akefia closes and locks up the door behind Mariku, a scowl etched onto his face. He turns around, folding his arms over his chest. "It's fucking cold in here. Mariku, how can you make the boys live in this?"

It's actually not that cold. I mean, I always wear socks, and I always have a sweatshirt on over my T-shirt, but I don't get that cold…

"Don't fucking criticize me," Mariku snaps. He turns back to me, smile back on his face. He plays with a lock of my hair. "Happy birthday."

His lips on mine. I close my eyes and try to block out his kiss, his hands, his presence in the room.

Finally, he pulls away. "Presents first?"

I shrug. "Sure. That's fine."

Mariku sets two small presents down in front of me. Akefia leans against the counter and raises his hands. "I didn't get him anything. I'm not wasting my money on the little shit."

"I wouldn't want a present from you anyway," I shoot back. Mariku's hand strikes my face. I rub my reddening skin.

"Marik! What the hell is the matter with you?" Mariku hisses. I don't respond. Mariku raises his hand again, and I twist away.

"I-I'm sorry," I get out. Akefia looks amused. He laughs under his breath, closing his eyes.

Mariku still looks pissed, but he leaves me alone. He takes a seat in the remaining chair, gesturing to my presents. "Alright, go on. Be grateful I'm even letting you keep them after that little outburst."

I nod, and go to tearing at the bigger present. I find a plain box, and Mariku motions for me to take the top off. I do, and find a purple Game Boy Advance.

I sit there, mouth open in shock. I've wanted a Game Boy Advance since it came out, but we've never had the money to pay for it. Rishid hinted at getting me one for my birthday last year, but then he got into a car accident and had to pay to get his car repaired. And now Mariku got me one. I open my mouth to say something, but I can't think of anything to say.

"You know," Akefia says from his place by the counter. "those new Nintendo DS's are out now. My brother-in-law just bought one for Ryou's Christmas present."

Bakura stiffs up at the mention of his brother. I rub my foot against his under the table. I know it hurts him to hear about his father and brother. Going on with their lives. Without him.

"I can't afford one of those," Mariku says harshly. "Those things are fucking expensive. And the prices of the Advances hit rockbottom as soon as the DS hit the shelves. I wasn't about to pass that up."

"Thank you," I interject before they can continue their argument. "I love it. Really, thank you."

Mariku sits back in his chair, looking pleased with himself.

The next present contains two games for my new Game Boy, _Pokemon Ruby_ and _Yoshi's Island_. I thank Mariku again. He seems happy with my response.

Mariku got me a cake from the same bakery he got Bakura's from, only mine is chocolate on chocolate. I eat a big piece. It's good, but I remember the cake Ishizu always made me on my birthday. Chocolate cake, vanilla frosting, and strawberries on top. So good.

I wonder what they're doing today. Do they remember it's my birthday?

Finally, it's time for Mariku and Akefia to leave. Mariku hugs me tight and whispers happy birthday in my ear. Bakura is staring off into space. I peer over Mariku's shoulder and accidentally meet Akefia's eye. He smirks, pressing one finger to his lip before swiftly reaching into the interior of his coat. He takes out a plain white 3-ring binder, placing it on the counter. He withdraws his hand, pulling his coat across his chest and casually glancing towards the door.

Mariku lets go of me, kissing me on the forehead. He ruffles Bakura's hair affectionately before following Akefia out the door.

As soon as Mariku finishes locking up, I'm out of my seat, moving towards the counter. Bakura is right behind me, peering over my shoulder as I reach for the binder. "What's in it?"

I bite my lip. "I don't know. What would he give this to me?" I ask, and I have to stop and clear my throat. Bakura shrugs.

I take the binder over to the table and sit down. Bakura sits down next to me, staring at the binder. My heart feels like it's going to leap out of my chest, though I somehow keep my hands steady.

Why would Akefia want to give me anything?

Finally I just force myself to place my hand on the cover. My fingers curl around the cover, and I grit my teeth before flipping to the first page.

I'm met by a color headshot of me, cheek pressed against Ishizu's, except she's been cropped out. The rest of the page is taken up by words. A newspaper article. Dated June 5, 2004.

I flip through the binder. Akefia has saved every scrap of news detailing my disappearance. Mainly news articles, but also website print-outs and a few magazine pieces. It's all there, neatly slipped into the protective plastic pages.

Akefia must have gone to an insane amount of trouble to put this together. And he had the nerve to give it to me. Mariku would be furious.

Bakura is absolutely silent. I don't look up from the book. "Did he make one of these for you?"

"No," Bakura's answer is short, emotionless, and very, very final.

I don't respond. I settle in to begin reading all the articles. Bakura gets up and wanders around the room, looking lost. I don't pay attention.

* * *

**Thursday, December 23, 2004**

**Evening**

_Dear Rishid and Ishizu-_

_It's my birthday today. Did you remember? It's okay if you didn't. I've been gone for a really long time. I don't blame you if you're starting to forget about me._

_Mariku got me a Game Boy Advance and two games to go with it. It made me miss you, Rishid, because you were going to buy me one. I kinda wish it had come from you, but I'm still grateful to Mariku for buying it. I haven't played it yet, but I've been letting Bakura use it. I think he already beat one of the worlds on Yoshi's Island. I also got a Pokemon game, Bakura and I are going to play that together. We already decided to name our character Steve._

_Speaking of Bakura, he's being moody today. He was really nice in the morning, or as nice as Bakura gets. He drew me these really good pictures. Then Mariku and Akefia came in and Akefia gave me a binder full of articles about me, and Bakura got really angry, except he won't say he's angry. He just kind of sits by himself, being antisocial. I'm secretly kind of glad, because I don't want to have to deal with him when he's acting like he's having his period. But I don't like it when Bakura goes off by himself. He's been so quiet ever since he got sick. I don't want him to think that I don't want him around._

_It kind of sucks because I love Bakura so much, and I thought I was going to die without him in here with me. But he doesn't want to talk to me as much, he just likes to be alone. I want him to talk to me, I want to play with him, but I can't if he has his mind set on ignoring me. And now he's all upset with me and I don't know why. I really don't want to go prying around trying to find out what his problem is. Trying to figure out Bakura's brain is like trying walk down a one-way road with bombs planted in the ground every five feet. One wrong step and you get blown up, but you can't turn around once you start. I just have to keep going until I get Bakura figured out. Too bad it's impossible._

_Anyway, tomorrow's Christmas Eve, and then it's Christmas. I hope you guys think about me, except not too much. Don't get sad. Just please remember me, and know that I love you and I miss you._

_-Marik_

* * *

**Saturday, December 25, 2004**

**Morning**

All I want for Christmas is to go home. Nothing else. I'd be okay with just visiting. One day at home, then back to Mariku's. Just an hour. I'd be happy with a phone call. A few minutes on the phone. Just to hear my brother and sister's voices. Just to tell them their brother is okay.

I wake up before Bakura does, but I let him sleep. I like it when he sleeps. He looks so peaceful and happy, the exact opposite of how he is when he's awake. And I like holding him. Sleeping Bakura buries his face in my shoulder, hands raised up to his chest. He kind of resembles a chipmunk when he sleeps. His neck is bent forward so I don't even have to look at his collar. I wrap my arms around him and close my eyes, wishing that Mariku and Akefia never came in again. And it would just be me and Bakura.

Eventually, Bakura does wake up. We brush our teeth and make pancakes for breakfast, eating at the table around the little Christmas tree Mariku brought in for us. When we're done we watch the morning news, and then we're bored. We pick up my new Game Boy and started playing Pokemon. We chose Mudkip as our starter and named her Susan, but then we found out that Susan was a boy. Oh well.

We play for a while, and then we're bored again. Bakura takes out a sheet of paper and starts writing down numbers. When I ask what he's doing, he says he's trying to figure out how long he's been here.

Bakura disappeared on October 29th, 1999. This is his 1,885th day living here. We do mine, and my stomach twists in knots. Day 205 in captivity.

Two hundred and five days. Two hundred and five days since I last saw my brother and sister. Two hundred and five days since they knew I was alive.

How many more days will I spend here? I can't run away. I can't. I'm completely at Mariku's mercy. And he's never going to let me go home. But he has to someday, won't he? I can't stay here forever.

But I probably will. I might never go home. Never see my family again.

_Beep beep._

Bakura scrambles to hide the paper away in a drawer. Mariku and Akefia stagger in, laughing to themselves and holding a couple packages each. Bakura is just sitting back down. I don't think they notice. They seem too drunk.

"Bakurra!" Akefia stumbles over to Bakura, throwing his arms around him and kissing him noisily on the cheek. "Hur…How are yooou…"

Akefia grips the table as he trips, pitching sideways. He immediately begins laughing, as does Mariku.

Bakura face is blank as ever. "Are you two drunk already?"

This sends both of them into another fit of hysterics. "No…nooo…" Mariku can hardly stand up straight. He trips over the floor wandering over to the bed.

Akefia snorts. "We jusssst had some egg nog before we came…came over…"

They don't stop laughing. Bakura and I just sit there, waiting for them to calm down. They don't. Finally, Mariku just points to the pile of brightly wrapped packages. "Eh…you boys just open your…open…Bakura's red," He stops talking, his head lolling backwards. "Marik's green. Go to town."

Mariku and Akefia continue their drunken babbling. Bakura and I ignore them, going straight to the presents. We end up having more fun chucking the wrapping paper at each other than finding out what our presents actually are.

We made out really well. We both got a couple books, I got some more games for my Game Boy, Bakura got new art supplies. Akefia turns away from their conversation to say something about getting us a PlayStation next year, 'if we're good.' I wrestle Bakura to the ground and put one of the red bows in his hair. He scowls, but doesn't take it out.

I get up off the floor and go about putting our new books away in the bookshelf. Bakura turns towards his art cabinet and bends over to put his new stuff away. Akefia stops talking to Mariku, who is still laughing at something unknown to me. He turns in his seat, watching Bakura with an unreadable expression. Suddenly, he raises his hand and smacks Bakura hard across his butt.

Bakura yelps in surprise, hands going to cover butt as he straightens up. Mariku bursts into another fit of giggles, falling backwards on the bed completely. Akefia grins. I put down our books and stand up. Bakura turns away, avoiding eye contact.

Akefia obviously doesn't like this, because his grin soon drips off his face and he reaches out the grab Bakura's arm, violently pulling him back. "H-hey, where do you ttthink you're goin'?"

Bakura doesn't say anything, just looks away. Akefia shakily gets to his feet and wraps his arms around Bakura's shoulders. "Don't be like that, it's fuckin' Christmas," He mumbles into Bakura's ear.

Mariku is watching with a lazy grin. He chuckles softly as Bakura squeezes his eyes shut, and Akefia rocks them softly back and forth. Akefia's tanned hand goes to Bakura's chin and jerking it sideways, their lips meeting with a swallowed grunt.

Suddenly Mariku isn't smiling anymore. He pushes himself up, unfocused eyes narrowing as he watches Akefia's hands wander on Bakura's body, feeling his chest and dipping down to touch his crotch.

Mariku practically flies across the room, ripping Bakura out of Akefia's arms and throwing him to the floor. Bakura cries out as he hits the ground. Mariku grabs the front of Akefia's shirt, his other hand forming a fist. "Dammit, Akefia, I told you not to fucking _touch _him!"

Akefia's eyes are alight, and he pushes Mariku off. "He's my fucking nephew, I'll touch him however the _fuck _I want!"

He shoves Mariku hard, but Mariku barely wavers. Instead he bares his teeth, and his fist slams unexpectedly into Akefia's stomach.

Akefia doubles over, coughing. Mariku stands above him. "Don't touch them." He hisses. "They're _mine_. You don't fucking touch them!"

"Fuck you." Akefia says as he straightens up. "I don't know why I ever agreed to it."

Mariku raises his hand to hit Akefia again, but Akefia turns, stumbling across the room and out of the door, into the swirling snow. Mariku stands there looking after him for a long minute, oblivious to Bakura on the floor, or me frozen like a statue on the other side of the room.

* * *

**So today we learned that anger automatically makes Mariku and Akefia sober...**

**I consider this a really bad chapter. I had such bad writer's block with this...my usual antidote to writer's block is to force myself to keep writing, and the problem will go away. Tha didn't happen here...I think it was because I was so busy, it was easy to find other things I 'should' have been doing when I couldn't think of what to write.**

**Also, I had a show choir competition. And I've had choir every single day for the past week. And I get to leave for another competition tomorrow!**

**Anyway, back to the chapter...I hate the scene on between Bakura and Marik on Marik's birthday. They're so out of character...  
Oh, but I finally figured out how to use quotations correctly! Apparently I've been doing them wrong for years...if you find any mistakes, just tell me, I'm not used to the proper way of doing it! But now I know how to use dialogue tags! (I'm amazed that none of my English teachers ever corrected me...)**

**So here we are again...ideas? Seriously, anything to help with the writer's block. Also, name Marik and Bakura's Pokemon! Tell me what they should catch! ...if you're into Pokemon, that is. (Forgot Pokemon and Yugioh are mortal enemies...whoops...)**

**So I have no idea when the next chapter will be written. I'm so busy for the next, um, month. Seriously, tomorrow I leave right after school for a competition in Nebraska. And I'll be there all Saturday. I won't even see any possible reviews until I've gotten home and passed out in bed for a couple hours on Sunday. **

**So review. Lots and lots of long reviews. I'm going to be stuck in Nebraska, take pity on me. (If you live in Nebraska, I apologize, but it appears that nothing is there.)**

**Erm, well, I do have school tomorrow...should probably go to bed...nah, sleep is for the weak.**

**-Turtles**


	13. Still Alive

**I own a car which desperately needs an oil change. I don't own Yugioh.**

* * *

**Tuesday, March 15, 2005**

**Morning**

Bakura and I stare at the television, unable to take our eyes off the screen. Our bowls of cereal sit untouched, Captain Crunch getting soggy with milk. My spoon is still in my hand, ready to dip in and help me eat my breakfast. I don't bother with eating. I just watch.

They found a body.

It's all they can talk about this morning. Someone found a dead body. Someone was dead, and now their body has been found. They're still dead, though. Finding their body won't make them not-dead. But people still act like it's super important to have a body. In a little city like Domino, things like finding dead bodies is a big deal.

Apparently some guy was hiking in the woods that run along the side of the main highway here, and found something in a trash bag. He called the police and they sent someone out to look at it. Sure enough, it was a dead body. I don't think the news people are supposed to know this, but whoever they found was a boy. Aged around nine to fifteen. Had been dead for a while before winter.

They think it's me.

My stomach twists into knots, and all I want to do is run up to the TV and start yelling. I'm right here. I'm _here_. I'm alive. That's not me. I'm not dead. I'm just here.

But, of course, they can't hear me. They don't know where I am.

Whoever they found was naked when they were shoved in the trash bag, and they were tossed onto the forest floor. No one bothered to dig them a grave or anything. My stomach churns and I hug a pillow, feeling sick.

They talk about me all morning, about my disappearance and the investigation afterwards. Obviously, no one found anything all summer, so the 'investigation' turned up a big fat nothing.

But then they mention something I haven't heard about before. Father was arrested for child abuse last October, and someone theorized that Rishid was actually behind my kidnapping to get me away from Father. They did a search of his new apartment and everything. They didn't find anything, of course. Rishid didn't kidnap me.

My stomach boils. How, how could they put Rishid through that? He had to watch me get dragged away by Mariku. He's had to wait for months, two-hundred and eighty-five days to be exact, and has never been given any sort of sign that I'm alive. It must be just killing him. And then they accuse him of doing something like _that_?

I want to throw up.

They show a shot of Rishid and Ishizu walking away from the cameras, Rishid with his hands in his pockets and staring at the ground, Ishizu gripping his arm and turning to stare back at the cameras nervously. I want to see them so badly. I want to run up to them and tell them I'm alright.

But I can't, since I'm here.

_Beep beep._

Bakura jumps when the electronic lock warns us that Mariku is coming in. Mariku walks into the shed with a scowl on his face. He slams the door shut, taking one look at the TV before beginning to yell. "Bakura! Turn that shit off!"

Bakura sighs heavily and picks up the remote, changing the channel to cartoons. Mariku knits his eyebrows together, but doesn't say anything else. He quickly locks up the door before turning back around and beginning to bark at us. "Bakura, do your homework. Marik, on the bed. Now."

I don't hesitate. Mariku doesn't use that tone with us very often, and I always think it's scary. I jump up onto the bed, sitting with my back against the pillows. Bakura gets up and wanders over to the bookshelf, taking out his math textbook. Mariku watches him impatiently. He turns off the television as Bakura grabs his pencil and calculator, taking his sweet time walking around the room. Mariku points to the chair. "Sit. Do you math problems. And do them right, dammit."

Bakura gives him a weird look. I don't blame him. Mariku doesn't care about our schoolwork. He once told to stop bothering with it and do something 'fucking fun' instead, because we were just going to live with Mariku for the rest of our lives and never going to need to know any of this stuff anyway.

Mariku watches as Bakura settles in and begins to punch numbers into his calculator. Finally he turns, walking towards me with the same mad face on.

He sits on the bed, kicking off his shoes and swinging his legs over the side so he's sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing me. He unzips his pants, taking his half-hardened penis out. His fingers are in my hair, shoving me down to his crotch. "Well, what the fuck are you waiting for? Start sucking."

I don't hesitate. Mariku's angry today. I wet my lips once before wrapping them around the head of his penis. I still hate the taste. It's just too salty, and it's gross. I close my eyes and try not to think about what I'm doing.

Above me, Mariku makes weird little half-grunt noises. He pushes my head down further, and I gag. My throat isn't big enough for him.

I move my head up and down and continue to suck, just like Mariku taught me. Hopefully this is all he's come in for and will leave after he cums. He's been coming in more frequently every day, which doesn't upset Bakura nearly as much as it used to. Sometimes he wants sex, sometimes not. On some days he'll cook for us, or play a game. We never know what he wants. Bakura doesn't like it because his school schedule gets messed up, but he doesn't say anything.

Mariku's hand goes to the back of my collar, pulling me up off him. He shoves me face down on the bed and pulls my pants down in the back. I grit my teeth and dig my fists into the sheets, hearing him position himself above me. He's not going to prepare me this time. He's hardly used any preparation with me since we tried to run away. I think I'm getting used to it now, so it doesn't hurt nearly as much, but being stretched out first helps. He always stretches Bakura out, though, and goes slow. I think he's afraid of breaking him or something.

The sex is fast, but it still hurts. I crack my eye open to look at Bakura, but my hair gets in my face and I can't make anything out.

Finally, Mariku grunts and pulls out. I can feel his hot liquid inside me.

Mariku gets up. "Go clean yourself up, Marik," he says in a detached voice.

When I come back out of the bathroom, Mariku is sitting next to Bakura, leaning close to him and whispering harshly. He jumps up when he sees me come in.

I pause. "Is there something wrong?" I ask nervously.

Mariku looks angry. "No. There's nothing wrong," He pushed the chair back to its previous location. "Sit your ass down. I'm going to make you two a real breakfast."

I shoot Bakura a confused look as I sit down. He just shrugs. I make a silly face. He smiles a bit, but he doesn't laugh.

Mariku makes us omelettes with cheese and some vegetable things. He makes one for himself too, sitting down at the table with us. He stares at me and Bakura blankly, and we start eating. Mariku looks satisfied, and he cuts off a section of his own omelette with a fork before spearing it and shoving it into his mouth.

"Now boys," He says, still chewing on the omelette. "I don't want you watching those news reports about Marik anymore. They're poisonous to your brains, and they're just going to make you feel bad."

I nod mechanically. Mariku goes on.

"What you need, Marik, is a clean break. You need to forget about your siblings and your old life. You won't feel sad anymore, and you'll be able to focus on the life we have here together. Then we can all be happy together. Do you understand what I'm saying to you, Marik?"

"Yes," I get out. I feel sick, but I force myself to keep eating. Mariku sits back, looking pleased with himself.

"Good. Now, I better not catch you boys watching that stuff anymore. You can still watch the news, but if something about either of you comes on, change the channel. If I find out you've been watching those news reports again, I'll block the channel. Capishe?"

Bakura and I nod once again. Mariku suddenly slams his fist down on the table. "Say something, dammit, give me a real answer!"

"We understand. We won't watch them anymore," Bakura says quickly. I nod. Mariku looks at me expectantly.

"Yeah. We won't," I get out.

Mariku finally looks satisfied, and he breathes out a sigh of relief. "Good. You two have behaved so well since your punishment began. I think I might end it early, if you continue to be good."

My ears perk up. Punishment over? That means the collars come off. Getting more food. (Then maybe Bakura will be able to put the weight he lost being sick back on.) And maybe even…going outside.

Outside! Mariku might let us go outside, during the summer, in the sunshine. Bakura and I could go outside.

We just have to be good…

"Akefia has been pushing me to let you boys out for a while now…" Mariku muses, tilting his head up to look at the light fixture, now on 24/7 thanks to our lack of natural light. "He says you two need the vitamins. Actually he said Bakura needs to get out in the sun because he's pale as a fucking corpse, but whatever."

He stares at the ceiling for a minute longer while Bakura and I sit in awkward silence, afraid to move. Suddenly, Mariku's head snaps forward, staring at us with wide, shocked eyes, as if he's forgotten what we were doing there in the first place.

"Well, don't just sit there," Mariku hisses, standing up abruptly. "Clean this shit up. And do your homework, or I'll tan both your asses."

He turns and walks swiftly to the door, not even looking at us as he goes through the process of unlocking the door and stepping outside, slamming the door back in its frame. The door beeps to tell us Mariku has locked it back up.

Bakura quickly reaches for the remote, hitting the power button and watching as the TV flickers to life. He taps in the channel number for our local news station, and the Domino City reporters are back.

"What are you doing?" I whisper. Like Mariku is going to hear me now. "He told us not to watch these reports. He'll block the channel."

Bakura just shrugs. "Fuck him." I'm a little taken aback, but then Bakura adds, "You need to see this. You can't forget them, Marik. They're your family. You owe it to them."

I stand there, half out of my seat, jaw hanging half-open with shock. Bakura turns his head to look at me, a smug expression on his face. I turn my face to the television. The news lady is talking about some guy named 'Bandit' Keith Howard and how he's apparently one of the leading suspects in my disappearance.

And I suddenly can't handle this anymore. I grab out plates and forks and take them to the bathroom, slamming them down into the sink and beginning to scrub.

* * *

**Sunday, March 27, 2005**

**Morning**

So it's this holiday called Easter.

Bakura told me about Easter a few weeks ago when this thing called 'Lent' started. I was really confused at first, why would Bakura just give up something randomly for forty days? It just didn't make sense.

He gave up playing Pokemon, which made me sad because I don't like playing without him.

Later on he explained to me the concept of Easter, with Bakura's Christian god apparently becoming human and dying, then coming back to life. And they celebrate it by dyeing eggs bright colors and eating candy.

_Okay…_

Akefia came in a couple days ago to dye eggs with us. It was actually sort of fun. We boiled the eggs and peeled their shells off, and Akefia let me put the little dye tablets into the cups of water. I feel like he's beginning to not hate me. I don't think he'll ever like me, but not hating is good too.

I got overwhelmed with the whole egg dyeing thing and started dipping my egg into all the colors. Bakura just watched me with a raised eyebrow, not saying anything until my egg turned a gross brown color. He took the black pencil thing that came in the egg dyeing kit and drew a face with bug eyes and a lolling tongue on one side. Akefia cracked up when he saw it.

The egg, along with a number of other brightly colored eggs we dyed, is sitting on our counter in a basket with shiny, plastic grass. I found it a little creepy at first, but that went away. The eggs made Bakura happy, and that's really all that matters.

It's been a really long time since I've seen Mariku and Akefia together. They've seemed to want to stay away from each other since they fought on Christmas. Akefia's visits always seem rushed, him peering over at the door as if Mariku was going to burst in at any second and push him out. He still doesn't talk to me that much. For the most part, he ignores me while he talks to Bakura.

Akefia also doesn't seem to want sex. The first time he came in to visit, he did have sex with Bakura, and it looked like it hurt him a lot, but that was really the only time. It's weird. I don't know why he keeps coming in if he doesn't want to have sex.

They do come in this morning, though. Together.

They don't look happy about it. They don't talk or laugh or anything, and they stand a couple feet apart at all times, glaring at each other at random times. But they came in together, I guess that means they want us to think nothing is going on between them. We're not stupid, though.

We all eat hot cross buns Akefia bought at some bakery, apparently they're an Easter food in England. Mariku tries to make me and Bakura laugh, earning sour looks from Akefia.

Bakura and I get candy from Mariku, just like we did on Valentine's day. Akefia gives Bakura candy too, but gives me a box of smushed-looking pink Peeps. I don't really care that much, since I'm already devising a game me and Bakura can play using the Peeps, but Mariku gives Akefia a look.

"Peeps? Really? Peeps are disgusting."

Akefia shrugs. "I told you. I'm not dropping a ton of cash on your little toy. He should be grateful for getting what he does." Mariku rolls his eyes and turns away for a minute, and Akefia's eyes slide over to mine, winking at me.

I shiver and look down at the Peep box. There must be something hidden in it. For the past couple weeks, Akefia has brought in every article having to do with me or the new body. (Which no one has been able to identify yet.) He doesn't say much, just hands it over. And I do appreciate it, I'm just confused. Why would he do this for me and not for Bakura?

"Thank you." I say, my voice coming out lower than I intended. I clear my throat and try my best to smirk at Akefia. I probably look ridiculous, as he's trying not to laugh. "I love Peeps."

Mariku grunts, looking off to the side. "Peeps are fucking disgusting…"

Eventually we get off the subject of Peeps and turn the television on, watching some random movie about the Easter bunny, another weird tradition I don't get. Akefia leans over to me, grinning. "He ain't real."

I roll my eyes. "No duh. It's a giant purple rabbit walking around laying chicken eggs. I'm not an idiot."

Mariku bursts out in a fit of laughter, and even Bakura laughs a bit. Akefia looks shocked for a minute, but then he starts to laugh as well.

It's midafternoon by the time they leave. Mariku kisses us both goodbye, but Akefia doesn't come near Bakura. And finally they go out the door, leaving me and Bakura to ourselves.

Bakura begins meticulously sorting our candy according to flavor and wrapper color. I don't pay attention to him, instead turning my attention to the box of Peeps. I run my finger along the short side, noticing that the cardboard flaps are held together with super glue. I tear it open and start moving the plastic around, grinning when my fingers find a thin piece of folded-up paper-newsprint.

I dig the article out and unfold it, ignoring Bakura rolling his eyes. It's a big article-which is weird to have now, so long after I was kidnapped. My heart does somersaults when I see the headline.

**Ishtar Family Divided Over Discovery Of Marik's Possible Remains**

I bite my lip. I don't like reading about this stuff. I like reading about my brother and sister, knowing they're doing okay and everything, but I don't like reading about how sad they are. I wish they could just be happy. Remember me and remember that they love me, but not be sad about me not being there anymore.

They interview Ishizu, who says she'll be happy when (not if) the DNA testing confirms it's me. She says she'll always, always love me and miss me, but she needs closure. She needs to know I'm 'at rest' and all that. They interview Father too, and he says something about how he wants to 'watch the bastard that did this to my son burn in hell.' He goes on and rambles on about the shoddy autopsy and the death penalty for a few paragraphs.

They didn't interview Rishid, and that disappoints me, until the article mentions the fact that he wrote me a letter instead and wanted it printed in the article, in full, so I'd hopefully be able to see it. Wherever I am.

**Dear Marik-**

**They tell me you're dead. They tell me they've found your body and you are never returning to us. I don't believe it, Marik. I know you're alive. The body they found isn't yours. I can feel it.**

**These past months have been hard. Ishizu tells me to give up and accept the fact that you are gone. I can't, not when I know you're out there somewhere, still breathing, still alive. And especially when it was my fault you were kidnapped in the first place. **

**I want you to know that I have not forgotten you, and I will never forget you. No matter what any person or any piece of paper says, I know you are alive and I am going to find you. I don't care how long it takes or what I have to do, but I will continue to search for you, and I will never give up. I will not stop looking for you until you are safely back in my arms. I **_**will**_** find you.**

**-Rishid**

I can't move. I can only tremble as I stare at the words on the page. Words written by Rishid, my brother.

How many times have I wanted to hear back from him? How many times have I begged whatever god there is to have my siblings vow to always remember me, and never stop looking for me?

And now I can only wish he'd mind his own business.

My hands go to the thin paper, ready to shred it to pieces. Instead, Bakura's hands are on top of mine, prying my fingers from the page.

"What the hell are you doing?!" I yell. I reach up to smack him away, but he dodges it. He just picks the paper up, his face calm and blank.

"Just keeping you from doing something you'll regret later."

"Fuck you," I say, crossing my arms and slouching down in my seat. "You don't even know what it was about."

Bakura just shrugs. "No, but it has to be important if you're getting so worked up about it."

We hold each other's stare for a long minute, before I finally yell out in anger, throwing my hands in the air as I get up from the table. I march away from Bakura and go into the bathroom, the only place to get away from him, since we're locked in here and everything.

* * *

**Sunday, March 27, 2005**

**Evening**

_Dear Rishid-_

_Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone!_

_Forget about me. Get on with your own life. I'm not worth it, Rishid. I'm not._

_You can't save me. You just can't. I'm stuck here, stuck with Mariku. I'd like to leave, but I can't. The doors are locked, there's an electric fence, and I just can't. I'm sorry. I can't leave Bakura here alone. I can't leave Mariku. _

_I miss you too. I miss both you and Ishizu so, so much. It's been so long since I've seen you face-to-face. Geeze, Ishizu could have gotten pregnant and had a baby since Mariku took me. I've been here so long._

_I want to go home, I really do. I just can't. Not until Mariku lets me go willingly. I don't know when that will happen, or even if it will ever happen. For now, just please tell yourself I'm dead. Please. I don't want you hurting any longer. Give yourself closure, or whatever else Ishizu was talking about in that article. I don't want you two in pain over me. I don't. _

_I love you so much. You are the greatest brother ever, and I was so lucky to get you. I miss you. I want to see you again, but I can't. I'm sorry. I hope you understand._

_-Marik_

* * *

**Monday, April 4, 2005**

**Morning**

It's not my body.

I mean, duh. Of course it wasn't. I knew it wasn't going to be. I'm right here, totally alive. It couldn't be my body.

But for some reason, I feel surprised.

Bakura watches the news report with little interest. His eyes dart between the television screen and the book he's reading. He doesn't comment on what's going on outside our shed.

I keep my attention focused on the news. The kid they found turned out to be Noah Kaiba, the son of the founder of KaibaCorp. Everyone thought Noah had died when the Kaiba mansion caught fire late last summer. The news reporter said that there were 'no signs of brutality' on Noah's body, but they hadn't ruled out foul play. I had to ask Bakura what they meant by 'foul play,' and he said it means they think someone might have killed him.

The news segment goes on for a super long time about Noah. It's weird. There's really no other way to describe it. Everyone thought it was going to be me becoming officially dead. But it turned out to be Noah. I feel a strange connection with him, this rich kid I'll never meet. Because he's dead, and I'm not. It's weird.

I wonder how Rishid and Ishizu are doing. Rishid is probably happy. He'll probably take this as a sign that I'm for sure still alive. How will Ishizu take this? She could either be happy that I'm not for sure dead, or sad that she doesn't get her 'closure' or whatever.

What's more important to her? Me or her closure? Is having me back even that important to her anymore?

Bakura touches me arm. I jump, startled. He stares at me with somber, unsympathetic eyes. "What are you thinking about?"

I bite my lip, a little confused as to why Bakura is asking me this. "A lot of things, I guess. My family, mostly. What they're thinking of all this."

"Hmm," Bakura adjusts in his chair, slipping his bookmark into his book and closing it. "You know, I went through something sort of similar when my mom and my little sister died. It made the news, just because it really wasn't very long after I was kidnapped and everyone felt sorry for them. It brought me back into the public eye for a while. Everyone treated Mom and Amane's death as some sort of lead, like it was this link to finding out what happened to me. But it wasn't. It was just a car crash."

Bakura trails off, fingering the plastic edge of his bookmark. He stares at the corner of the table, eyes far, far away. I almost reach out to hug him, but then I remember that it's Bakura.

"I'm sorry," I say. I want to say something else to comfort him, but I can't think of anything. "What did Mariku think of it all?"

Bakura tears his gaze away from the table, looking at me again. "Oh, he was freaked out," he says casually. "He'd get it in his head that they had figured out he was the one who had me and the police were going to come any minute to arrest him. He kept saying he was going to take me far away where no one had ever heard of me. Akefia talked him down every time he started loading up the car, though."

We're silent for a long minute. Then something else occurs to me.

"Bakura," I start. Bakura looks up at me, a perplexed expression on his face. I swallow. "Your accent. You had a British accent when I first met you. It's gone now."

Bakura turns to stare at the table again, then slaps both his hands over his mouth. He holds them there for a long minute, eyes wide with shock before he quickly gets to his feet. Bakura swiftly walks around my chair, into the bathroom.

I turn back to the news. The newslady has finished talking about Noah, and suddenly a picture of me fills the background. I hear the sound of the bath turning on just as the newslady opens her mouth to question where exactly I am.

* * *

**Monday, April 4, 2005**

**Evening**

Bakura spends nearly the entire day in the bathroom. Sometimes I hear the water start to drain, only to be followed by the sound of the faucets running again, presumably to keep the bath warm.

I go in a few times to use the toilet, and every time Bakura is either staring at the ceiling, or has his eyes closed as he submerges his entire body in the water.

I keep trying to get him to say something to me, but he doesn't. He just sits there. I even stood in front of the mirror for about twenty minutes once, fiddling with my hair and teeth and collar as I watched my reflection. Bakura didn't say anything. I finally gave up, leaving Bakura alone in the cold bathroom.

I figure it's just one of Bakura's days where he just doesn't feel like pretending to live. I have those days too, so I can understand. But I don't like to let mine show.

When Bakura finally gets out of the bathtub and redresses, his fingers are pruny and his hair is dripping wet. He doesn't even bother trying to put a comb through it, instead letting it dry in its tangled and messy state.

I don't say anything to him. I make dinner for the two of us, some spaghetti that I'm terrified of messing up, but seem to do okay. Bakura eats it, at least.

Mariku comes in a bit earlier than usual, holding a glass beer bottle in his hand. I gulp. I hate it when Mariku comes in drunk.

Mariku takes a long swig of his beer as he surveys the two of us, sitting at the table calmly as some sitcom from the 90's plays on the television. His mouth puckers for a bit before he finally addresses me. "The fuck you starin' at?"

My cheeks burn. I look away. "Sorry."

"Damn right you are." Mariku takes another swig, emptying the bottle before making his way over to Bakura. Bakura looks up at him, face still completely blank. Mariku laughs suddenly, a low chuckle from the back of his throat. He suddenly seizes Bakura by the front of his shirt, hauling him to his feet and setting the beer bottle on the table.

Mariku's hands are everywhere on Bakura, rubbing his back, gripping his hips, and squeezing his butt. Bakura makes a small sound of protest, but Mariku quickly presses his face into his shoulder. "You've had quite a long time to get over your illness, Bakura…" He muses, unfocused eyes peering down at Bakura. "I think I've been very generous with allowing you time to recover."

Bakura utters something that sounds like agreement, but I can't hear. Mariku grips the back of his shirt, pulling him away. "And look at you now. Healthy as a horse."

Bakura nods, looking down. Mariku laughs, whipping him around and shoving him to the floor. "Well, then I think it's time we try out something new. Get on the bed."

Mariku turns and grabs the beer bottle, returning to look at Bakura, still on the floor and gazing up at him with pleading eyes. Mariku's happy expression turns to fury. "Well, what the fuck are you waiting for? Get on the goddamn bed and take your fucking clothes off!"

Bakura scrambles to his feet, taking off his shirt and dropping his pants and underwear before crawling up onto the mattress. Mariku grabs the remote, shutting off the television before turning to stare down at me angrily. "You're going to fucking watch me do this him, Marik. You're going to fucking watch."

I nod, and he turns away from me. Bakura sits on the bed, naked. Mariku unzips his pants as he strides towards him. "Get on your hands and knees," He commands. Bakura scrambles into position, facing away from Mariku.

Mariku reaches out to squeeze Bakura's left butt cheek before giving it a hard slap. Bakura grits his teeth, but doesn't cry out. And Mariku's hands are at his backside, spreading him apart. Bakura tenses up, eyes closed.

Suddenly, Mariku takes the beer bottle and shoves it into Bakura. Bakura lets out a cry of pain as Mariku buries the entire neck of the bottle inside him.

Mariku lets go of the bottle and goes around to Bakura front. Bakura is crying, face screwed up in an expression of pain. Mariku pries his mouth open, shoving his now hard penis in.

Bakura gags loudly as Mariku begins to fuck his mouth. Mariku moans, reaching over to take hold of the bottom of the beer bottle, moving it in and out of Bakura in time with his own thrusts.

I'm scared. What if the bottle breaks inside Bakura? And I can't do anything to help him. I can do nothing but watch.

Finally, Mariku climaxes in Bakura's mouth. He pulls out and slams Bakura's jaw shut, other hand still on the bottle inside Bakura's ass. Bakura dutifully swallows, and Mariku leans in close to his face. "Good boy…" He whispers.

And twists the bottle, breaking it in half.

Bakura screams as the neck cracks open. Mariku laughs loudly, chucking the unbroken half of the bottle to the floor, where it shatters into a million pieces. He collapses onto his stomach, sobbing. Mariku stands up, grinning as he stuffs his dick back into his pants and zipping up. He leans over, brushing Bakura's hair away from his ear.

"I love you, Bakura."

He turns and walks calmly out the door, leaving me alone with a sea of broken glass separating me and my bare feet from a bleeding Bakura. I'm too shocked to do or say anything. Bakura continues to cry.

* * *

**I FINALLY got this thing out. I thought the writer's block problem had been taken care of since last chapter. Apparently not.**

**BUT the last 2,000 words of this chapter practically wrote itself, so hopefully...**

**So, yay character development. Out of our two antagonists, Akefia is probably going to experience the most character development. Mariku will probably just spiral into insanity and all that fun stuff.**

**And OMG Marik is FINALLY hitting puberty. And he's starting to curse. HOLY SHIT MARIK YOU'RE GROWING UP. I'm so proud. Too bad you turn out to be a douche.**

**And Bakura is going through character development! He's becoming a cynical asshole! Plus his accent is disappearing. I'm surprised he kept it for so long. His family left Europe when he was like, four. And then the only people he was around who really used the accent were his siblings, mom, and uncle. His accent should have been gone a long time ago.**

**So here's where I make excuses for being late...obviously, show choir. Actually, last week was just choir. We went to Washington D.C. to sing at the Kennedy Center. (I know none of you care...it was a big deal for me...) I missed like, three days of school. And now I'm hopelessly behind in Astronomy and have not been able to catch up because I have had constant show choir practices all week.**

**Plus, I busted my hand. Badly. I managed to slice it open in stained glass class, which is talent in it's own way. But if that wasn't enough, I was putting wood in our fire later that night (we heat our house with a wood-burning stove) and the fire decided it liked me and would therefore flare out in an attempt to hug me. So I burned the heck out of the SAME hand. Seriously, I had to go to the ER at like, eleven at night. **

**So I can only type with one hand, which greatly reduces my typing speed. On the bright side, I will probably get a cool looking scar.**

**Oh, if you haven't noticed, I changed my penname. Good for me, because I HATED my last penname. I've just been too lazy to change it the past year and a half. I really like what I came up with, but it still might change. Because I'm like that.**

******Hopefully I can get another chapter out in two weeks. After show choir season is done I should return to the old schedule. I'm also writing a oneshot from Akefia's point of view during Bakura's kidnapping. That will be done whenever that gets done.**

**Okay, I have to be up at 4:15 in the morning to go to another show choir competition tomorrow. I will be gone all weekend. Review, please.**

**-Fai**


	14. Out

**"I love you man, but I swear to god. If you point that dolphin at me one more time, I will zucchini you, and I don't care that you're secretly Harry Potter." -My stepbrother in his sleep. (I'm assuming that it was aimed at my twin brother, as his room is located underneath the staircase so we joke that he is actually Harry Potter.)**

******I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, YGO:TAS, the concepts of Marik, Bakura, Mariku, or Akefia. All I really own is the plot, and I'm still cheating a bit.**

* * *

**Wednesday, April 6, 2005**

**Midday**

Akefia frowns, pushing himself up off the bed. "I can't really do much, Kuku…" He says softly.

Bakura doesn't respond, his face buried in the pillow as he lies on his stomach. He's been lying like that for nearly two days.

Akefia brings his hand up to scratch at his head, looking sad. "I mean, I can get you some painkillers. And some anti-biotics, because Lord knows what kind of infections you can get from rectal cuts…"

Bakura nods weakly. "Please," he gets out.

Akefia pulls a small notepad and a pen out of his pocket and starts scribbling. "I should be back in an hour or so. I'll grab you boys some lunch too, how bout that?" He turns around and attempts to smile at me. I just stare at him. He sighs, smile sliding from his face.

"You cleaned up the glass that was on the floor, right Marik? Did you get cut up at all?"

Actually, I did. I tried my best to avoid the glass as I made my way to the bed to help Bakura, but I still stepped on some of it. And I cut up my hands trying to get the shards of glass out of Bakura. But I just washed the cuts with soap and water. My cuts weren't bad compared to Bakura's.

I nod. "A bit," I say uneasily. "Just on my hands and feet."

Akefia makes a motion with his hand. "Let me see."

I lift my hands up and he takes one in his, looking at the cuts around my palm and up my fingers. He drops that hand, grabbing the other one and repeating the process. Then he sits down in one of the chairs and turns the seat towards me. "Feet up," He tells me, patting his lap. I comply. It's really weird to have Akefia looking at my feet.

"You actually did a pretty good job of cleaning yourself up…" he mumbles to himself, dropping my feet and standing up. "But I'll probably grab you some pills too, just to be safe. God knows Mariku wouldn't let me take you to a hospital even if your hand was falling off…" He sounds angry.

I get to my feet, and Akefia wanders back over to the bed. "And you did a fairly good job of helping Bakura. He could have bled way more than what he did if you hadn't gotten the glass out right away."

What else would I have done, sat there and let him bleed and cry? Bakura was in pain. And I could help him. Of course I helped him.

Though it was really weird to stretch Bakura's opening, sticking my fingers inside to get the broken shards of glass out. And he kept crying and telling me to stop, which made the job a lot more difficult, but I kept going until I couldn't feel anymore glass.

There was blood, though. A lot of blood.

Bakura's been in a lot of pain ever since. It hurts him to sit, and he can barely walk. I've had to help him get to the bathroom whenever he needed it. I think sitting on the toilet hurts him way less than sitting normally, too. But the last time I brought him in there, he sat there for a really long time and crying in pain so loudly I could hear him outside the door. I asked him if he was okay, but he didn't answer. I think he was embarrassed. I wanted to tell him there was no reason he should be embarrassed. It wasn't his fault.

Akefia opens his mouth to say something, but right then the door _beep beeps _and his head whirls around, looking terrified.

Mariku steps through, looking bored. He stops suddenly when he sees Akefia, and I swear I can see his lip curl. "You. What the fuck are you doing in here?"

Akefia snaps his mouth shut, drawing his shoulders back and standing up straight. "I'm here to take care of my nephew. As you already know and don't care, he's been injured."

"He's fine," Mariku rolls his eyes. He makes a motion with his hand, coming closer to us. The door swings closed behind him, but no one makes any move to lock it.

Akefia's eyebrows go up, his nose wrinkling. "Fine? Fine?! Mariku, he has fucking lacerations on the _inside _of his _rectum_."

"Calm down. And stop using your big doctor words." Mariku holds his hands up. "You never even became a fucking doctor. You think that because you went to medical school for a little while you car waltz around and diagnose these kids-"

"Yes, I fucking can!" Akefia's hands make fists, stepping forward. Mariku moves to walk around the table, and Akefia suddenly reaches out and grabs me, shoving me behind him. I drift to Bakura's side, taking his hand in mine and squeezing it as Akefia stands in front of us. "Somebody has to, since you express _no _concern for these boys' well-being-"

"That's a lie!"

"That is _not _a lie!" Akefia seethes. "You've starved them. You've beat them black and blue. You've allowed Bakura to get sick and never once tried to get him help, even though he was _dying_, and you'd probably do the same thing again!"

Mariku folds his arms over his chest. "That is not true."

Akefia seems to get even madder. "It is true! These two would probably be dead if I wasn't around to make sure you haven't killed them! Honestly, sometimes I just want to take Bakura away from you and have him live with me. I-"

SMASH.

Bakura and I remain silent.

Akefia is on the floor, staring dazedly up at Mariku, seemingly perfectly calm.

Mariku crouches down. They're at eye level with each other now. "Repeat what you just said." He says slowly.

Akefia is practically shaking. "I-I said I'll take Bakura away."

"Yes, yes you did." Mariku gets to his feet, looking up as he steps around Akefia's legs. "But you can't, Akefia. You know why?"

He's so close now, and I'm scared. Mariku looks down at the two of us with cold, purple eyes before he randomly seizes hold of me and spins me around to face Akefia.

"Because I _own _these two. See these collars? They're mine. One hundred percent mine. You gave up all rights to your nephew the minute you handed him over to me. You better be fucking grateful I still allow you contact with him."

Akefia looks down at the ground. I can't see his face.

Mariku lets go of me, walking around until he's in front of Akefia again. He bends down, meeting him face-to-face. "Your nephew is mine, Akefia. It would be smart of you to remember that."

Silence. Mariku grins, standing up. Akefia continues to sit there, staring at the floor.

"Now, Akefia, I did come in here for personal reasons, so if you don't mind…"

"I certainly do bloody mind," Akefia spits out as he grips the table, pulling himself up. Mariku rolls his eyes.

"Well, I guess you can watch if you really want to…" He moves towards the bed. Bakura stares back, his large brown eyes wide with fear.

And I know I can't let Mariku hurt him.

I jump in front of the bed, spreading my arms out to my side. "It's okay, I'll do it!" I say too quickly. Mariku narrows his eyes. I stutter, looking to the floor. "J-just do it to me, it's-"

"DAMMIT, STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!"

The pain comes from nowhere and everywhere. A fist in my gut. A hand in my hair. Pulling me away from Bakura, away from my best friend. Throwing me to the floor. And above it all, Mariku is yelling.

"You all seem to forget whose boss around here! Let me ask you, whose property is this? Who pays to keep you boys fed? Who pays the electricity bill, who pays for all your shit? Who allows Bakura and his uncle to see each other? That's right, ME! I do! I'm in charge here, and it blows my mind that you all so easily forget it!"

Mariku turns around and angrily seizes the waistband of Bakura's sweatpants, yanking them down with enough force to tear the elastic. Bakura yelps in pain as his midsection is jostled. Mariku fumbles for the zipper on his pants.

I reach up, latching onto his forearm. Mariku looks down on me with such an intense expression of fury and hatred that I almost recoil.

But I don't. Instead, I force myself onto my knees. I bend my back over until my chin hits the floor, my nose nearly touching his feet. I stare up at him, pleading with my eyes.

"Please," I say. "I'll do whatever you want me to do. Just please leave Bakura alone."

Mariku stares at me for a long minute. I bow my head, looking to the floor. I can do this. I can be submissive. It's for Bakura. I can do anything for Bakura…

Suddenly, Mariku's hands are in my hair again. One hand gripping the collar of my shirt. Lifting me up. I'm off the floor. And he throws me back.

The air rushes out of me as my body hits the wooden floor. I lay there, unable to draw breath. I stare at the ceiling. I try.

"I'm fucking in charge…" Mariku mutters. I can hear some more rustling, and Akefia stands up. I hear him step across the room, and he stops by the door. I turn my head to look at him, and strangely enough, he looks back.

For once, Akefia's face isn't filled with hatred or concern. His mouth hangs slightly open as he stares, our eyes meeting in an electrically charged moment that neither of us has a name for. I stare back.

Then Bakura screams out and Akefia turns away, out the door and leaving us all alone.

* * *

**Thursday, April 7, 2005**

**Morning**

I wake up to a strange clicking noise echoing inside the shed. I raise my head up, trying to open my eyes. And then I realize that they are already open.

The shed is almost pitch black. No light from the alarm clock, no light from the microwave. Small bits of natural sunlight leak through the cracks in the boarded-windows, but it's not enough to see anything. The clicking continues.

"Bakura?"

A few more clicks, and then it stops. "Sorry," Bakura responds. The floor creaks and I hear a drawer opening.

I move the blankets aside, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. My feet hit the floor and I instantly recoil. The floor is freezing cold. "What's going on?"

"No power…" Bakura mumbles as he sifts through the drawer. "So no light, no TV…no hot water…ah, here we go."

Another click, and the room is flooded with light. Bakura's face is illuminated by the large black flashlight he holds in his hands. He moves it over to point the beam at me. "Well, we could tell scary stories."

I smile a bit. "I bet I can scare you more."

"I don't get scared very easily." Bakura balances the flashlight on the counter, lighting up a good a portion of the room. "What do you want for breakfast?"

I cross the room, picking up a brown banana and wrinkling my nose. I toss it in the trash. "We should probably eat the stuff that'll go bad in the fridge…"

"Good idea."

Bakura and I drop our tub of ice cream in between us and eat it right out of the carton. It's mushy, but it still tastes good. Then we're full, so I dig out two cans of Coke from the fridge for us as Bakura goes to the bathroom and rinses out the empty ice cream carton.

"Well, we still have running water, so that's good…" Bakura muses as he steps out of the bathroom, wincing a bit.

I nod in agreement, even though Bakura can't see me. "We should probably take our pills, 'Kura."

"Already took them." Bakura grabs the flashlight and wanders over to me. I flash him a look before reaching for the plastic container Akefia brought in the day before. I flip up the lid for the Thursday box and find that it's empty.

Akefia did come back a couple hours after Mariku hit him yesterday, bringing us medicine and Subway sandwiches just like he promised. He gave me an orange bottle filled with antibiotics and told me to take one every morning, and he gave Bakura this weird plastic thing with seven boxes for each day of the week. He said he would come in every week to refill the boxes, and Bakura had to take all the pills in the box every day. I don't know what all those pills were, but they seem to be helping him. Bakura doesn't seem to be in as much pain, plus he's acting a lot different. He isn't freaking out over the loss of power, something I would have expected him to do not too long ago, and he's more talkative. I don't think Akefia should be trying to change Bakura with pills, but he seems happier. So I'm happy.

"Why do you think there's no power?" I ask as I open my Coke and take my pill. "I didn't hear a storm or anything."

Bakura leans his back against the counter, shining the light around the room. "Mariku probably turned it off," He says a bit carelessly.

My mouth hangs open. "But why-"

"He probably got pissed off at you trying to tell him what to do," Bakura says bitterly. "He doesn't like that."

"I was only trying to help you."

Bakura _hmphs _and looks away. "He likes to be in control. Don't tell him what to do."

We don't really know what to do all day. We only have one flashlight, so we can't read our own books. We try to have some school and page through our science textbook, but it's hard when one person has to hold the flashlight steady and neither of us have free hands. We know most of the material anyway, soon we'll have to ask either Mariku or Akefia for new textbooks. Probably Akefia.

We play more Pokemon. We spend most of our time getting Steve lost and battling every Pokemon we find in the grass, so we still haven't gotten that far in the game. Or maybe we have, since we don't actually know how long this game is. The GameBoy runs low on batteries fast, and since we can't recharge the batteries right now, we just turn it off.

And then we're bored. We have practically nothing to do, and it's steadily getting colder in the shed. Even though we've layered on our shirts and sweats and socks, we're both still freezing. My teeth are starting to chatter, and when I turn the flashlight on him, I notice that Bakura's fingertips are turning blue.

Bakura glares at me as I take his hands in mine, but he doesn't say anything. I rub the tips of his fingers, bringing them close to my mouth so I can breathe on them.

"What the hell are you doing?"

I drop his hands. "You're cold."

He turns to look at the wall, not saying anything. Suddenly, I get an idea.

I grab Bakura's hands again, jumping to my feet. "Hey, Bakura!" I say excitedly.

Bakura just looks annoyed. "What the bugger are you all smiley about?"

I pull him up, ignoring his grumbles of protest. "Let's build a fort!"

"A fort?" Bakura looks unamused. "Why would we want to do that?"

"Because it'll be fun. Now shut up and help me."

I grab Bakura's wrist and drag him over to the bed, filling my arms with pillows. Bakura continues to complain like a cranky old person, but he grabs one of the blankets.

Our fort is located in between the table and the bed. We drape blankets over the table and bed to hide the gaps underneath, and stretch our biggest blanket from the table top to the mattress. We keep the roof of our fort in place by piling books on the edges holding them up, using our chairs as stakes to create a tent shape.

Inside, we cover the floor with spare pillows and blankets. Bakura grabs one of our notebooks and some colored pencils and I take our flashlight. We crawl into the fort under the table top.

It's warm and bright inside our fort. The flashlight doesn't have to light up the entire room, so it reflects and bounces off the inside of the blanket. Our combined body heat gets trapped, and my teeth stop chattering.

Bakura opens the notebook and starts drawing a picture. I watch, happy that Bakura is drawing again. He's barely drawn at all since he got sick. The pictures he gave me for my birthday were the only things he's really worked on for a while, I think.

The same blue bald woman I've seen Bakura draw so many times appears on the page, swirling purple and red behind her. Dark black boxes form above her head, the hands of a clock reaching across the page.

"Why do you draw her so much?" I ask, propping my chin up on my hands.

Bakura doesn't look up. "Who, her?"

"Yeah."

Bakura shrugs. "I just draw what I see all the time."

I shift onto my side, watching his face intently. "But she's not real. I never see her, anyway."

He's silent for a bit. "When I close my eyes," He finally says quietly. "Every night. I just draw the things that I see when I'm asleep." He continues shading the dark black boxes. "She's actually really nice. She's always treated me really well when I see her. I think a lot of kids dream about her and get scared, and she gets sad. She's really lonely."

Bakura continues coloring, and I don't bother him about the blue woman anymore. He turns a page and we doodle together, and no more of Bakura's creepy monsters make an appearance.

I feel sleepy, so I lie down and tell Bakura I'm going to take a nap. Bakura scurries out and grabs one of his books, retreating back inside the tent to read it.

I lie down on my stomach and close my eyes, but I can't get my brain to turn off. I listen to the sounds of Bakura's pages turning, the steady sound of his breathing. I crack my eyes open and watch his shadow move against the blankets, watch as the flashlight begins to dim. The batteries must be dying.

My eyes slip closed again, and I try to force myself to fall asleep.

Suddenly, I feel Bakura's fingers at my back. He rests them just above my pants, but gradually brings them up, pushing my shirt and sweatshirt up in the process.

"What are you doing?"

Bakura stops, pulling his hands away.

"Your tattoo was showing."

I stay silent. Bakura clears his throat.

"Can…can I touch it?"

I don't respond. Instead, I reach down and grab the hem of my shirt. I pull both my shirt and sweatshirt over my head, the sweatshirt string snagging on my collar.

I lay back down. Bakura comes up behind me. His hands on my back. Feeling it.

"Did it…hurt?"

My eyes shut. I nod. "A lot."

His fingers hover over the spot in between my shoulder blades, where I know the image of a pair of wings is inked into my skin. "Why did you get it done?"

Bakura's fingers continue to skate over my markings. I let him.

"My father made me get them. He said every first-born male in our family gets them."

"Don't you have an older brother?"

"Yeah, but he's adopted. It has to be a biological Ishtar."

Bakura shifts, then begins rubbing my back. "You and your brother still look kind of alike."

I run my tongue over my dry lips. "That's just because we're both from the same area in Egypt. His biological parents abandoned him by our home, and my parents adopted him because they thought my mom was infertile. But then she had Ishizu, and then a few years later she had me. She died giving birth to me, though."

Bakura continues rubbing my back. "I'm sorry."

I don't say anything. I bury my face in my arms as Bakura continues to massage my back. He stops, and I start to get up, and then I feel something soft pressing against the base of my neck.

I lie still, not moving, barely even breathing. Bakura kisses around the wings, kisses up and down the lines. He runs his lips over the rune-like hieroglyphics, around the cross-like thing in the middle of my back. His breath on my spine makes me shiver.

And I can't help it. I twist around, grabbing Bakura by the shoulder and pulling him down onto the blankets with me. Bakura looks at me, confused, and my arms go around him.

I hold him tight, burying my face in his shoulder. Bakura's hands come around me as well, though hesitantly.

"Marik?"

I don't answer at first, but I kiss the soft skin of his neck above his collar. His breathing slows.

"I love you so much, Bakura," I say, still keeping my grip on him. "You…you know that, right?"

"Of course I do." I pull away slightly to look at his face, but Bakura is looking down. "Why does it matter right now?"

I pull him closer. "I don't know…" My finger finds a lock of his white hair, and I twirl it. "I just…we've been fighting a lot lately."

Bakura _hmphs_. I go on.

"You know, when Mariku said you were dead, I thought…I thought I wouldn't be able to survive. I wanted to die."

"He told me he was going to kill you," Bakura says suddenly. "He said you were a troublemaker and a bad influence, so he was going to kill you with some chemical gas thing he learned how to make online."

I nearly stop breathing, my mouth dry. "Really?"

Bakura nods. "I remember, it was right after he started giving me medicine and I started getting better. I couldn't really talk but I kept crying, but he wouldn't change his mind. And then a few days later he came back in and said that I was going back. It was like he just forgot about it or something."

Mariku forgot about killing me?

"Was he actually going to do it?" I ask. Bakura still doesn't look at me.

"No, I don't think so. He likes to lie. He lies a lot, but then sometimes it won't be a lie. And you never really know which is which with him. I don't think he always knows either."

We're both silent for the longest time. Bakura seems to relax in my arms, and I smile. I brush away some of his white hair.

"You're acting different today."

"It's those damn pills my uncle made me take," Bakura says bitterly. "I don't like them."

I lean in and kiss his nose. Bakura squeezes his eyes shut and wrinkles his nose. I laugh. "Don't they make you feel better?"

Bakura opens his eyes again, normal bored expression back in place. "A little. I don't feel as heavy anymore."

"I'm glad you're taking them. You seem happier. I don't like it when you're sad, 'Kura."

He doesn't answer, instead looking up at the ceiling of our fort. I lean in, pressing our foreheads together. Bakura doesn't say anything.

I close my eyes, savoring the feeling of Bakura's body against mine, his warm breath against my skin. "I don't like it when you're sad. I don't like it when you're hurt."

"I can't be happy here," Bakura says gruffly.

"You have to be." I open my eyes. "We're…Bakura, we can't leave."

"Of course we can. We almost did once. If we-"

"Bakura, you almost _died!_" My breath comes fast, and I grip his shoulders hard enough to leave bruises.

Bakura shakes his head vehemently. "No, I didn't die. I'm fine. I'll be fine."

"We're not trying again." I force myself to loosen my grip, as Bakura is obviously in pain. "I can't…I can't lose you."

"What about your family? Aren't they more important?"

I lean against him, placing my mouth near his ear. "No," I whisper. "Nothing is more important that you, Bakura."

Bakura says nothing, so I draw back, kissing his cheek.

"I love you, Bakura."

"I love you too, Marik."

We draw together and close our eyes, our shared body heat creating a pink aura of safety around us. I breathe, and for the first time since I was kidnapped, I feel safe. Bakura and me, together we are safe from the world. Safe from the world. Safe from Mariku. Safe from this means of force that keeps us both here and allows us to be hurt.

Bakura and I allow ourselves to sleep, content with the knowledge that we are safe in our fort, our sanctuary, leaving all danger outside.

* * *

**Sunday, April 10, 2005**

**Noon**

We're kept in the dark for three days.

Our flashlight battery runs out during the first day, leaving us without a source of light. Bakura and I entertain each other by playing Hide 'n Seek in the dark, which was fun for about five minutes until we both had bruises on our foreheads from banging into things, and were completely bored because we both know every inch of this place anyway.

On the second day, we try to sleep for as long as possible, but we both wake up eventually. We proceed to smack the crap out of ourselves trying to wander around the room, bored out of our minds. Then, around-midafternoon, we hear a sort of hard sucking noise and light floods into the room. We scurry to the one window that isn't covered by a plant to see Akefia prying the boards from the side of the shed. I try to wave to him, hoping he'd come in and we could convince him to turn our power back on, but Bakura explains to me that the windows are so heavily tinted that Akefia can't see us at all.

On the third day, Bakura and I take turns reading by the light of the window. I entertain myself when it's not my turn by mastering my paper airplane folding in the dark. I don't know what Bakura decided to do, but at some point it involved grunting. When the sun goes down I tell Bakura we should do strength exercises. He said that it was a stupid idea and I was a wanker for thinking of it, but we might as well since there's nothing else to do. Together we do sit-ups and push-ups, and that's all the exercises we can remember that don't involve exercise machines.

When we woke up this morning, Bakura went over to the light switch like he's done every morning, and when he flipped the switch, the light came on.

So, naturally, we had to run around the shed turning everything on, threw some pizza in the oven so we could have actually hot food for breakfast, then crammed ourselves into the shower together to take a long, hot shower.

Mariku comes in a few hours later, looking displeased. He motions for us to sit at the table, and we do. Bakura and I exchange fearful glances at each other while Mariku rests his chin in his hands, seemingly contemplating the woodwork in our table.

"Alright." Bakura and I snap to attention. Mariku shifts, putting his hands down on the table. "I'm not happy, boys. Not happy."

We're all silent. For at least five minutes, no one talks. Bakura and I don't dare to move.

"Do you know why I'm not happy, boys?"

He looks at us expectantly. I clear my throat.

"Because we were disrespectful."

A fake smile appears on Mariku's face. "You're right, Marik!" His expression returns to normal. "Can you tell me how you were disrespectful towards me?"

I bite my lip, looking to the floor. "Um…because…"

"Because we tried to undermine your authority." I look over. Bakura sits up straight, a glassy, blank look in his eye. "Because we tried to tell you what to do, even though we had no right."

"Correct, Bakura." Mariku smiles at him. "But it wasn't completely your fault. Akefia's behavior was inappropriate as well, and a bad influence on you two."

We both look down. Mariku doesn't seem to notice.

"I think…I think I'll have to get Akefia out of the picture, in the end." Bakura's head jerks up, wide eyes staring at Mariku in horror. "Yes…I'll change the locks, change the passcode. And I'll…" He stops, thinking so hard his eyebrows knit together. "Yes. Yes, I can make him stay away." His eyes refocus on us, and he smiles. "Anyway, you two are probably hungry. What do you want me to make you for lunch?"

Neither of us answer. Bakura just stares, eyes wide and fearful. I swallow.

"B-but…"

Bakura's head snaps sideways, looking at me worriedly. I force myself to look away from him. Mariku still hasn't changed facial expression. He looks almost bored, sitting there. "What? What now, Marik?"

I can do this. I have to do this. Even though I hate Akefia, I know we can't survive here without him.

"T-that's not fair," I say. Mariku slowly begins to get up, never breaking eye contact with me. I stay rooted in my chair, my heart beating faster than a jet. And still, I find words. "We need Akefia here. We-"

A wild, animalistic noise escapes from Mariku as he lunges at me. I jump to my feet, chair toppling over behind me. I turn, looking for a place to hide, any place to hide.

His hands around me. Gripping me. Punching me.

The pain explodes inside me, each blow sending electrical pulses through my bones. My side. My stomach. He holds me in place with his left hand and beats me with his right.

"What did I _just _get done punishing you for?!" He screams. "What was I _just _lecturing you about?!"

"Please, Mariku, stop it! You're hurting him!"  
"FUCK YOU! I'LL HURT HIM IF I WANT TO!"

More pain. One specific blow to my stomach makes me want to throw up. I can't breathe.

"You're going to kill him like that, you-"

"SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU, JUST SHUT-"

The fist comes at me in slow motion. One perfectly rounded fist, knuckles out, headed for my face.

I don't even have time to blink. I watch as the fist comes closer, Bakura's screaming and Mariku's yelling just dim echoes in the background.

The fist comes down perfectly centered on my nose, the force of the impact seemingly driving my nose back into my skull. I hear a terrible, terrible crunching noise.

And then, pain.

Red hot pain, pain that centers in the middle of my face and radiates outwards. I've felt pain before. I've been beaten by my father before, I've been fucked without preparation by Mariku before. It doesn't compare to this pain. Nothing does.

Mariku curses loudly and lets go of me. Bakura screams, one last time, before I fall to the floor and everything goes black.

* * *

"Marik? Marik, can you hear me?"

I groan. Someone puts their hand on my forehead, and I immediately flinch away because their hand feels like the icy grip of doom.

"Marik?"

I'm in a bed, I can tell that much. There's a mattress beneath me, and sheets over me. I try to crack my eyes opening, and I get a blurry glimpse of a tan hand and a white ceiling before I have to close my eyes again.

Maybe I'm…in a hospital? Maybe Mariku took me to the ER. Maybe they figured out who I was. Maybe this is Rishid above me, speaking to me.

My mouth is dry, but I open it anyway. "Rishid?" I croak out.

"Shh, no. It's me. Akefia."

I knew it.

I try to open my eyes a little more, and Akefia moves his hand to block some of the offending light streaming in through the curtains.

I'm not in the shed, I know that. Other than that, I don't know where the fuck I am.

"He's awake?" I can hear Mariku's gruff voice from somewhere behind my head. "Is he-"

"Marik's awake?!" Bakura's voice sounds more high-pitched than usual, more like it did when we first met. "Marik? Marik, are-no! Let me see him! Let me in!"

"Go downstairs and watch TV or something. I don't care. Just stay out of our way."

A door squeals shut. I manage to open my eyes a bit more. Akefia is staring back at what I assume is Mariku. "You know, you could be a little more gentle with him. You did just break Marik's nose."

What?

"Getting pushed around a bit isn't gonna hurt the little bastard."

I try to move my arms, but realize that my wrists are handcuffed to something above my head. Akefia sighs. "Still. It wouldn't kill you to be a little kinder."

Akefia leans in closer, addressing me for the first time. "Listen, Marik. Your nose is broken, pretty badly, but I set it and I have you on some pretty intense pain medications. If you're feeling at all weird right now, that's what it's from."

I don't answer. My mouth feels incredibly dry.

"The bitch doesn't need pain meds." Mariku scoffs. Akefia looks up, presumably at him. "Seriously, it's just his nose. It's not even an actual bone."

Akefia slowly gets to his feet. "It's still extremely painful. But of course," His voice takes on a mocking tone. "You know everything! You certainly know what's best for these boys!"

"I never said I knew-"

"Good, because that would be a straight-up lie. You're killing them. And you know it."

"You need to shut up about how I treat them. I may have let it slide with Bakura, but with Marik, you certainly have no right."

"Yes, I do have the right, because I'm the one who has to take care of him when you've injured him! Rather stupidly, I might add."

This room is blue. Light blue. Sort of the same color as the inside of the shed. There's a window ahead of me overlooking a street, and another window across the room. I don't know what that looks out on. I can't see out of it.

"It's my own damn business what I do with Marik."

"Not when you repeatedly put his life in danger."

"Oh for the love of-" Mariku punches something. Probably the wall. "I hit him a little too hard, yeah. He deserved it."

"He's twelve, Mariku. Twelve-year-olds are always rebellious, he certainly didn't deserve to have his nose broken for doing what all kids his age do."

"Oh, would you quit the Mr. Know-It-All act?" Mariku scoffs. "If anything, we should be happy about this. You said that his nose would heal crooked, right? That means his face will look a bit different. So he won't _look _so muchlike the Marik Ishtar that went missing last year. He'll-"

Mariku stops suddenly. There's a lengthy pause, then the creak of the door.

"Bakura?"

"Yeah?" Bakura's voice is small and far away. The floor creaks.

"Mariku, what are you-"

"Do me a favor, baby." Mariku calls down to Bakura. "Go get my big knife from the drawer, you know, the steak knife. Take that and go lay down on the table for me, will you?"

I can't hear Bakura's response. I hear Akefia's, though.

"No."

"You haven't even heard what I was going to-"

"No. A million times no. You are not maiming my nephew. I'm drawing the line. I swear to god, I'll-"

"You'll what?" Mariku challenges. "Call the police? I'll put you in a coma and take these boys halfway across the country by the time you wake up. I don't lose at my own games, Akefia."

Akefia is silent.

"You still have those doctor tool thingies, right? Go grab those and there won't be a need for the big knives. What was that surgery called again, the one to mess with a person's eyelids?"

"A blepharoplasty." Akefia says quietly. "We are not performing a blepharoplasty on my nephew. I don't have the proper tools or training to do one. I could end up blinding him."

"Well, I'm sure it's better than cutting him up with a steak knife. Now, be a good uncle and run home and grab that shit. I'll load the kid up with painkillers and put him to sleep for you."

Mariku's footsteps carry him out the door, down the stairs. Akefia doesn't seem to even breathe for the longest time. Finally, he follows Mariku.

I lay there for what seems like the longest time. I hear the door slam, soft voices from below. The front door opens and closes again, more voices. Then less. Then none.

Bakura's getting hurt. I couldn't help him. Again.

And I'm hurt too. And I'm trapped.

I close my eyes and pretend I'm not here. In the shed. At home. I don't care. I just want out.

* * *

**I can't tell if I hate this because it's genuinely bad or because I've spent a month writing the thing and I'm about ready to tear my hair out. Most likely both.**

**I think most of my writer's block is stemming from the fact that all but like, two scenes have occurred outside the shed since the first two chapters. There really isn't that much to _do _when you're locked in the same room, with the same stuff and the same person for nearly a year. So we are going to expand our world a little bit. Hopefully that will help clear up the problem.**

**Part of the reason I don't like this chapter is because I kind of feel like Marik and Bakura's character development is regressing. But I really didn't write this chapter for their character development, it's sort of meant to serve as a bridge into the next arc of the story. Plus, Stockholm Syndrome. Marik is getting it bad. Bakura's kind of went away for a while because he had Marik around, which kind of rocked his world, metaphorically speaking.**

**Also, Bakura is acting weird in the middle scene. I'm saying he's drugged up and calling it a day because I'm a lazy author with writer's block. Oh, and yes, a blepharoplasty is a real operation. (even though my spellcheck doesn't recognize it) It's mainly used as a cosmetic surgery to alter the shape and fold of the eyelids. If you have a weak stomach at all, DO NOT google it. Even the Wikipedia entries are shudder-worthy. I don't know if you could actually do one at home without lab equipment, but let's just say it's possible for the sake of the story. Possible, but extremely dangerous. I'm a realistic author, right? Yeah, I thought so... 'walks away sadly'**

**Anyway! News about my life! Well, show choir is ALMOST done for me! Yay! We still haven't done any better than fourth place, but we have one competition left in like a month. Then I'm done! (It's actually really sad...) I have school off this week, and thanks to my workplace being dumb, I'm not scheduled at all. (So maybe the next chapter will be out within a week...) Unfortunately, my biological mom is in the middle of her 42nd divorce or something like that. (I lose track.) So I've been busy with moving all my crap out from her soon-to-be-ex's house. But whatever.**

**We're almost to the end. I was wondering if anyone was going to AniMinneapolis this year! It's held, obviously, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it shall be my first ever anime convention! (I don't know how I managed to avoid them so long...) LittleKuriboh will be there, part of the reason I decided I would go. It's like, $35 if you order tickets right now. I will be there, dressed up as Marik. Actually, I will be dressed up as Marik in an Aperture Science outfit, from the 'Marik Plays Portal' video. I'm way too excited about it.**

**Oh, and review! I won't bitch about reviews for too long because this A/N is already far too long...but I was a little sad about the response I got for the Akefia fic. I got less reviews for that than I would a normal chapter of MOF, and I put like, way more work into it. I do appreciate constructive criticism, as I am looking to improve my skills. I just felt kind of sad about the response the Akefia fic got, but I guess that's just life.**

**...Okay, time for me to go now. Bye!**

**-FairyFai**


	15. Babysitting

**I own a printer that lives inside it's box, as I am too lazy to set it up. I don't own YuGiOh.**

* * *

**Thursday, April 14, 2005**

**Evening**

I can hear Bakura groan even from out here in the living room. I stop reading, losing my place in my book as my head jerks up, turning towards the bathroom door.

Akefia says something inaudible, and Bakura whimpers for the thousandth time. To my side, Mariku scoffs.

"He's fine, Marik," He says, his arm snaking around my shoulders. "Just read your book."

I look down at the page again, but I can't concentrate. The sounds of Bakura's suffering distract me, and I can do nothing else but sit and listen.

Eventually, the door opens again and Akefia comes out, leading Bakura by the arm. Bakura stumbles, his free hand blindly groping around to find something to hold onto.

Akefia brings Bakura to the pull-out couch by the fireplace, where he and Bakura have been sleeping the past few nights. Bakura slides onto the mattress, and Akefia helps him lay down on his back before going over to the freezer.

I jump up, out of Mariku's arms and run over to the pull-out couch, climbing onto the mattress and kneeling by Bakura's head. My fingers dig into his hair, thumbs brushing against the sides of his face, soft pale skin turned into coarse white bandages that wrap around his head and over his eyes.

"Hey, 'Kura."

Even though he must be in terrible pain from changing his bandages, Bakura smiles back. "Hey, Marik."

Akefia comes back over with an ice pack. "Marik! Don't touch the gauze!" He hisses. I snatch my hand away, terrified for a second that I had hurt him. Akefia lays the ice pack over his eyes, and Bakura lets on a sigh of relief.

"There, that should feel better…" Akefia says, staring down at him for a minute before turning on his heel. He walks around to the couch, plopping down next to Mariku and grabbing his pack of cigarettes off the coffee table.

"We should really have a real doctor look at him," Akefia says as he digs out cigarette out of the carton and slides it between his lips.

Mariku rolls his eyes. "You keep saying he looks fine, and-"

"I'm not a certified physician." Akefia hisses. "I could be wrong."

"I'm not bringing the kid to a hospital."

"Then don't. I told you, I'll find someone to come to the house. I'll pay them off to keep quiet."

Mariku scoffs. "You don't have the money."

"I'll get the money," Akefia says quietly.

Neither of them say anything for a while, their attention turning to the television. I lay down on my stomach, my mouth by Bakura's ear.

"Hey, Bakura," I say, keeping my voice low to keep Mariku from getting angry at me. Bakura cocks his head, listening closely. I run my tongue over my lips before speaking again. "Wanna find out what happens next in Gatsby?"

Bakura smiles a bit and nods. I run to retrieve the book, ignoring a sour look from Mariku, and I return to the pull-out, book in hand. I lay back down on my stomach, opening the book to the page we last left off.

I read quietly, just loud enough for Bakura to hear but not so loud that it bothers Mariku. Bakura just lies there, a content expression on his face. I wonder how long it will be until he can read on his own again. I wonder how long it'll be until the bandages are off.

Akefia said something went wrong with the surgery. Something about sewing the incisions back up at the end, actually. Bakura has to keep the bandages on to protect the stitches. He says he can still see during the few minutes when Akefia is changing his bandages, every morning and night. That helps alleviate some of my worry.

But we don't have the right medicine to give Bakura, so he's always in pain. Akefia gives him some strong painkillers and keeps the ice pack over his eyes to numb it, but Bakura still hurts. I can tell.

Soon, the game or show or whatever Mariku and Akefia were watching is over and they get up, flicking the TV off. I immediately close our book, knowing Akefia is going to want to go to sleep now.

I lean over and kiss Bakura's forehead, telling him good night. He says it back before I scramble backwards, off the bed. Mariku slips his arm around my waist before leading me up the stairs.

I had only been in Mariku's house twice before Mariku broke my nose, and both times I never left the first floor. When I woke up the other day, I was actually upstairs, in Mariku's 'spare room,' the room he was planning on transforming into Bakura's room. The spare room I guess is now sort of my room, at least until we're moved back into the shed or Bakura is healed and Akefia feels okay letting him sleep with me.

…I really don't like having my own room, even if it's temporary. I feel alone and vulnerable. Mariku says that he might just move me and Bakura into the spare room for 'easier access' if we can show him we can be trusted. Akefia says if that happens, he'll buy us a bunk bed because 'they're fun.' I don't want a bunk bed. I want to sleep in a double bed with Bakura.

We get to the top of the stairs and Mariku's hand slips from my waist. I pause, waiting for Mariku to lean over and kiss me good night before locking me inside my room. Instead, he grabs hold of my hand, weaving our fingers together.

"Marik," He says, a small smile on his face. My heartbeat jumps slightly. His free hand comes to my face. "Let's go to my room. You'll be sleeping with me tonight."

I gulp.

Mariku leads me by the hand to his room, flicking on the light once we step inside. My stomach twists into knots as he pulls me in, shutting the door behind us.

I've never been in Mariku's room before. The floor is made of wood, just like the rest of the house, and the walls are painted a deep red. A dark, wooden dresser sits directly to my right when I walk through the door, and a tall wardrobe stands against the adjacent wall. Three windows, currently covered with blinds, look out on what must be the street in front of the house on the farthest wall. Mariku's bed sits almost directly in front of me, a red and purple patchwork quilt spread out on top of the mattress.

I step forward and reach out, the thick material coming to a rest under my fingertips. Mariku crosses the room and heads for the wardrobe.

"Strip, Marik," He orders.

I do as I'm told. My long-sleeved T-shirt comes off, soon joined by my jeans and green boxer shorts. Mariku turns around, grinning when he sees me standing there, fully naked.

Then I catch sight of what he has in his hand. White rope.

I choke, my eyes going wide as I back away. My bare butt hits the edge of Mariku's nightstand, knocking a lamp over. I'm shaking, shaking so bad.

"Hey, hey, calm down…" Mariku runs to me, rope still in hand. I stay perfectly still as he places his hands on both sides of my face. I gasp, feeling hot tears roll down my cheeks.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Nothing to cry about." Mariku brushes away my tears with his thumbs before standing up, reaching around to set the lamp straight. "I'm just going to tie you up a bit. That's it. Stop your crying."

I try. Mariku stares down at me, seemingly losing patience as time goes on. I take a big breath, finally managing to calm myself a little.

I can do this. Bakura's done it before. He's been in worse situations. If he can deal with it, so can I.

Mariku seems satisfied. "Good, now put your hands behind your back."

I comply. Mariku wraps the rope around my wrists several times before tying it in a knot. Then he takes the long ends of the room, super long ends, in his hands. He brings the rope up to the back of my neck, ties another knot. Brings the rope around my neck, ties more knots. The rope goes down in between my legs, up my back, through the loop by my neck, wrapping around my torso, once, twice. Then he ties the ends in a big knot by my stomach.

The result looks like some weird criss-cross pattern across my upper body. I shift my weight, and the rope squeezes my private parts together painfully. Mariku leans back to observe his work, grinning.

"It's shibari, Marik," He says, motioning for me to turn around. "It's Japanese bondage. It's like an art form over there or something."

He grabs my bound hands, pinching the tips of my fingers. "Can you feel that?"

I squeeze my eyes shut. "Yes."

"Ah, good. No restricted blood flow, then…"

The floor squeaks as Mariku turns around. "Keep facing the wall," He barks. I hear him walk across the floor and open the wardrobe again. I focus on the chipping paint as Mariku comes up behind me.

"Right, now open your mouth." I do so without thinking. Mariku brings something in front of my face and I only get a glimpse of bright red and black before something round is shoved into my mouth.

I bite down, hard, on what feels like a ball. It's too big; it fills up my entire mouth and makes me want to gag. Mariku pulls on the straps connected to the ball, securing them in the back of my head.

"There we go." Mariku grabs hold of my arm, pulling me over to the bed, turning me to face the wall again. Out of the corner of my eye I see him turn down the bed sheets, coming up behind me once again.

Suddenly, Mariku's arm is at the back of my knees, sweeping my feet out from under me. I yell out in surprise as I fall backwards, but Mariku's other arm catches me, and he picks me up bridal-style.

He tenderly sets me down on the bed, letting my head flop back onto the pillow. Mariku smiles at me as he steps back, taking off his shirt and dropping his pants.

Once again, he goes to the wardrobe, this time bringing back a pink bottle.

"I usually save this for special occasions," Mariku says as he kneels on the bed, pouring a generous amount of this weird liquidy stuff in his hands and rubbing them together. "It'll make this feel so much better for you."

I watch as he brings his fingers down, pulling the two ropes running through my crotch apart before sliding one slippery finger in me. It doesn't hurt, but sex usually doesn't hurt very much anymore. And his finger isn't very big.

I open my legs wider to help with the rope situation, and Mariku slides two extra fingers in me. It starts to hurt just a little bit, but I'm okay. Mariku begins to move his fingers inside me, and I feel uncomfortable and sore, but not-

_Oh, gods._

Bolts of electricity spread out from the spot he touched, making me shiver. I bite down on my gag so I don't make any sound. It feels good. I don't want it to feel good at all.

Thankfully, Mariku doesn't touch that spot again, and he soon takes his hand away, lining his penis up with my hole. He slides in, rather smoothly, and immediately starts pumping.

Usually, the sex is fast, hard. Get in, cum, and get out. But now, it's slow. Gentle. Mariku's hands come up to touch my face, careful not to touch my bandaged nose.

"God, you're beautiful…" Mariku says, starting to thrust a little harder. "My beautiful Marik…my light, my little hikari…" He closes his eyes, and the speed picks up.

I focus my eyes on the ceiling, willing myself to go to my 'happy place.' Bakura told me I should think of a happy place, one I can go to whenever Mariku is having sex with me. I don't know what his happy place is like. He didn't answer me when I asked him.

My happy place is on a boat, floating down a river. I've always liked boats, even though I've only been on one once a couple years ago when Rishid took me fishing. Rishid is with me on the boat, and Ishizu. Bakura's there, we share a room. I guess his family can be there too, since it's not a real happy place if Bakura isn't happy too.

And that's it. My happy place. I just wish I could go there for real someday.

I'm jerked back to the real world when Mariku grabs hold of my private part, running his hand up and down it furiously. I can feel it start to tighten a little bit, and it begins to ache. I want to cry. This is embarrassing.

"Come on…" Mariku thrusts harder. I yell out in pain, but the sound is muffled by my gag. Mariku continues to pound into me, harder and harder, until I begin to cry.

"Come on…" He repeats. "Just cum already…"

What does he want me to do? If I knew how to do it, I would. I just want him to stop.

"Fuck, cum Marik!" His hand is going crazy on my penis, leaving behind an uncomfortably warm feeling, like when you rub your hands together too fast and they start to burn. "Cum for me, baby, please. I know you can do it."

I can't, I can't. I don't know what he wants.

"Fu…FUCK!" Mariku yells as his back arches, and finally, hot fluid fills my insides. Mariku slumps forward, pulling out. He takes one look at me before sighing, hand going to the back of my head and undoing my gag.

I cough and my mouth is suddenly very empty. Mariku throws the ball-thing down, where it noisily bounces against the wooden floor. He settles down beside me, pulling me close to him.

"I'm sorry, Marik…" Mariku sighs. I stay perfectly still, barely even breathing. He continues. "I know you're still young, it's just…you're developing so much more slowly than Bakura."

I think Bakura's just developing really fast. I caught him shaving his upper lip the other day. I don't think we're supposed to be getting facial hair at twelve.

"I guess I shouldn't be worried…" Mariku goes on. "I mean, I knew you were a late bloomer. Akefia says your growth is just on the slower side of normal. If…if you haven't ejaculated by the time you're fourteen, then that's when we should get worried. But now…"

He kisses my temple. "Now, you're still perfect just the way you are. My Marik, my beautiful, beautiful hikari."

* * *

**Saturday, April 16, 2005**

**Morning**

_Dear Rishid and Ishizu-_

_It's been a few days since I wrote, sorry about that. Mariku moved me and Bakura from the shed to his house. I haven't been able to get in to the shed to get my stuff, but Mariku ran over earlier today and move our stuff over. Mainly just our clothes and books and such. I asked him to grab our notebooks, so I have my journal now. I think we'll be living in Mariku's house for a while. He has a room he doesn't use for anything right next to his room, and he said he's going to let us move into it._

_I don't really know how I feel about that. I was fine with living in the shed. Bakura and I had everything we needed, and we didn't have to deal with Mariku or Akefia all the time. But now we're practically babysat. Akefia works as a bartender at some club, so he only has to work nights. And he's been sleeping here with Bakura (he's recovering from something, long story) so he's here with us when we first wake up. Mariku gets home around mid-afternoon most days, but it depends on what sort of jobs he's gotten that day. It's kind of nice because I have someone else to talk to when Bakura decides to act bitchy, but I don't really like talking to Mariku that much, and Akefia doesn't seem to like me a lot. _

_Also, I don't have to argue with Bakura over the bathroom. Which is nice, because he gets all angry when I spend time doing my hair in the morning. I don't know why he gets so pissed off. Someone here has to take care of their hair. I mean, his hair is so long. If he took care of it, it would look so pretty. But he doesn't. He just washes it sometimes and lets it all stick out wherever it wants. I tell him to at least brush it out, but he usually just flips me off and goes back to reading his book or whatever._

_Speaking of hair, Akefia forced me to let him cut mine earlier today. I was kind of pissed, because I haven't cut it since I got here, but I was also starting to have a hard time keeping my hair out of my face. I can see so much better now._

_Anyway, not much else is happening. I'm bored a lot. Bakura is still recovering, so he just spends a lot of time sleeping. I've been reading and watching TV a lot. I'm starting to get bored of daytime television. A lot of talk shows and bad soap operas. At least me, Bakura, and Akefia can make fun of the actors._

_I love you two. I hope you're still doing okay with everything._

_-Marik_

* * *

**Saturday, April 16, 2005**

**Midday**

Akefia lights another cigarette, keeping his eyes trained on the TV, where some brown-haired lady is sobbing into the arms of a police officer. I page through an old anatomy book, one of Akefia's old textbooks, from when he was in medical school. I don't really understand half of what it says, but the pictures are kind of gross and cool and the same time.

Bakura is in the bathtub, taking his first bath in about a week. I'm glad, he was starting to smell.

Akefia puffs on his cigarette, taking it out of his mouth to blow smoke at the ceiling. "So I met your brother the other night," He says casually.

I tense up.

"Rishid?" I ask tentatively. Akefia nods.

"Yeah. He came to the club with some blonde woman. Seemed like a pretty cool guy, bought his date drinks and stuff. She was a total bitch, though." More smoke.

I shift, trying not to seem too interested. "What else did he say?"

He taps the cigarette on the edge of his ashtray, ash crumbling and falling into the pit. "Not much. Talked to his date for the most part. We talked about baseball for a bit when she was in the bathroom."

I'm silent. Akefia returns the cigarette to his lips. "He doesn't seem like a very happy guy."

"He's always been like that," I say quietly. "He doesn't really like showing emotion."

We're both silent for the longest time, staring at the screen, listening to the woman cry. Suddenly we hear a crash from the bathroom, and Akefia is on his feet, rushing to the door before I have a chance to move.

"Bakura?" He calls in a worried voice. He cracks the door open, peering inside. "What happened? Did you fall?"

"I'm fine," Bakura's voice echoes inside the bathroom. "I was just trying to get out."

Akefia steps inside. I stay seated on the couch, listening. "Dammit Bakura…" He mutters. "I told you to wait for me to come get you."

"The water was cold. Besides, I can take care of myself."

Akefia sighs. "You can't see."

"Then take off my damn bandages."

"I can't. It's for your own good."

Bakura swears. I turn the volume up on the television, trying to block out the argument. I jump when the front door opens, Mariku stepping through, holding two large pizza boxes. He eyes the bathroom door disinterestedly, Bakura and Akefia's fight still boiling over. He turns his head to look at me, and he does a double take.

"What the hell happened to your hair?" He blurts out. The sound of flesh hitting flesh resonates from the bathroom, and Mariku whips his head around. "Akefia! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

The hitting stops, and Mariku turns, placing the boxes on the table. Akefia quickly steps out of the bathroom. "I didn't realize you were here," He says, looking away from Mariku. Mariku just folds his arms.

"What the fuck were you doing with Bakura?"

Akefia turns his head, staring Mariku in the eye. "Punishing him."

"For what?"

"Talking back."

Mariku turns back to the table, placing the pizza boxes side-by side. "That's not your place. Neither is letting Marik cut his hair, by the way. I have final say over what he does with his hair."

I stare at the ground, anger boiling up inside me. Why don't I have any say over my hair?

"I'm sorry. He got his hands on the scissors without me seeing it."

"Well then keep a closer eye on them!" Mariku opens the first pizza box. "I got lunch. This one's for Marik and Bakura to share."

I jump up, scurrying to the pizza. Akefia turns around retreating into the bathroom. I reach into the box to take a slice- my half, the one with cheese-when Mariku fists his hand in my hair. I stay absolutely still, staring intently at the wall while Mariku runs his hand through my locks.

"Your haircut actually doesn't look that bad, Marik," He muses. "But in the future, if you want it cut, ask me first."

"I'm sorry," I say, even though it's not my fault.

Mariku pats my head. "It's okay. I forgive you this time." He smiles at me, but his eyes are hollow.

I sit down with the pizza and start eating as Akefia leads a still-blinded Bakura out of the bathroom. I can't see any marks on Bakura yet, so that's a good sign.

Akefia sits Bakura down at the table, and his fingers blindly grope around for a slice of meat lover's. Once he finds it, he brings it to his lips and chomps happily. Akefia digs into the pizza he and Mariku are sharing, something with mushrooms and pepperoni.

We eat in silence for a few minutes, then Akefia opens his mouth. "I think we can take Bakura's bandages off tonight."

Mariku stops chewing. A grin appears on Bakura's face, though he quickly hides it with another bite of pizza. Akefia holds eye contact with Mariku, glaring at each other across the table.

"You think?"

Akefia calmly takes a sip of soda. "Of course. It's been nearly a week, which is more than enough time for the incisions to heal."

He returns to his food. Mariku stares at him for another minute before taking another bite of pizza. "Alright, then. I assume you're going to need my help with this. And I have another job to go to this afternoon, so-"

"I wasn't planning on doing it until night anyway." Akefia says, rushed. "I mean, artificial light would be way better on his eyes right away."

Mariku does not speak, but grunts.

* * *

**Saturday, June 4, 2005**

**Morning**

I wake up with the unpleasant taste of morning breath in my mouth and a strong urge to pee. I lay in bed for a couple more minutes, until I just have to take care of the problem.

Carefully, I climb down the ladder to my bed, careful not to shake the bed too much and wake up Bakura in the bottom bunk.

I don't know why he took the lower bunk. I let him choose first, but he decided to take the bottom bunk. I mean, I guess I'm okay with it…I wanted the top bunk anyway.

I slip out past our bedroom door quietly, tiptoeing to the bathroom. Bakura usually sleeps like the dead, but I know that Mariku has the day off and is probably sleeping in. He gets angry when we leave our room before he gets up, even though he's been keeping our door unlocked since he disconnected all the phones in the house except for the one in his room.

Go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, and I'm back in our room before two minutes have passed. The sun has barely finished rising, the sky still pale blue. Bakura mumbles in his sleep and turns over onto his back. I smile, lifting up his covers and sliding into bed with him. His eyes open partially, but he goes back to sleep with a whisper of "wanker" when he sees it's me.

I wrap my arms around him and pull him to my chest, watching the early morning sunlight bounce off the walls. Our room is still blue, even though Mariku said he'd let us paint it a different color. Bakura says we can paint it purple once Mariku buys us some paint.

The blue is alright, though. The room still looks like ours. We have a new bookcase that sits underneath our front window, filled with our books. Or actually, we have a bookcase that Mariku threw together from some scrap wood he had lying around in his garage and painted a disgusting shade of orange. Bakura's been hard at work painting little black designs on the sides, but so far, all that has done is make the bookcase look like a giant monarch butterfly. Bakura also painted this big golden eye type thing on the wall over our dresser. It really creeps me out.

I'm pretty sure I doze off for a bit, because the next thing I hear is the sound of squeaking floorboards, footsteps down the stairs. I hear the TV turn on in the living room, followed by the refrigerator door slamming shut.

But I still stay in bed, even though Mariku is obviously awake. I'll wait until Bakura wakes up and go down with him. The first and last time I went down to eat breakfast before Bakura woke up, Mariku said we had time for a 'morning quickie' and had sex with me on the kitchen floor.

It takes forever for Bakura to wake up, but when he does he yells at me for hugging him in my sleep. I just smile, because I know Bakura doesn't actually mind it.

When Bakura has brushed his teeth and done his business in the bathroom, we both go downstairs to eat.

Mariku jumps when we come down the stairs, quickly grabbing the remote and turning the television off. "'Morning, boys," He says, getting to his feet. "I made sausages for breakfast."

"You never make sausage," Bakura says blankly, stepping down off the last stair. He folds his arms over his chest. "I remember on my tenth birthday, you asked me what I wanted for breakfast and I asked for sausage, you told me I was getting bacon and to suck it up."

"Well, aren't you an ungrateful little bitch," Mariku replies, but he doesn't even seem mad.

We eat our sausage and some toast. Mariku stares at us with an unreadable expression on his face. I start to feel uncomfortable, and I look down at my lap.

After breakfast, Bakura and I shower together. Mariku doesn't like us keeping one of his bathrooms occupied for so long, and he especially hates us using both his bathrooms at the same time, so we usually just bathe together. We've seen each other naked so many times, it really doesn't matter anymore.

We get dressed and settle down on the living room floor with a puzzle we found in Mariku's garage, intent on spending the rest of the day working on the thing. Mariku comes down a few minutes later, his hair wet from his own shower and hanging down around his face, which throws me for a minute because Mariku without his spiky hair seems to defy the laws of nature. He stares at us for a good minute, before abruptly tearing his gaze away and wandering over to the closest window, staring out at the lawn.

"You know, it's a beautiful day outside…" He says. We look over, but soon turn back to our puzzle, assuming he's just talking to himself.

Mariku wanders over, hovering above us with a forced smile pasted onto his face. "Why don't you two spend some time outside today?"

We stop. Bakura looks up at Mariku with a surprised face. "Seriously?"  
Mariku nods. "Of course. You two need to get outside. You know, exercise…vitamins…that sort of thing."

That's enough for us. We jump to our feet, our puzzle abandoned.

"Wait a minute," Mariku says, turning away and running upstairs. Panic sets in, and I'm terrified that Mariku is going to snatch away our outside time.

Mariku comes back down, holding a pink bottle in his hand. "You need to put on sunscreen, Bakura. You'll burn to a crisp without it…"

Bakura complains, but he grouchily allows Mariku to apply sunblock to his exposed skin.

Once Bakura has been slathered in sunscreen, Mariku leads us over to the side door. I grab Bakura's hand, my heart pounding in anticipation. Bakura rolls his eyes, but lets me hold his hand.

I can smell the grass before I even step through the door. I inhale deeply, closing my eyes and letting the scent of grass and trees wash over me. I step outside, and for the first time in what feels like forever, I feel the sun's hot rays on my skin.

Outside. I'm outside. It's just wonderful. I never want to go back inside again.

"Alright boys, I'm just going to be over here," Mariku gestures to the back of the garage, where a half-constructed table lies in the grass. "Stay where I can see you."

"Uh-huh," I get out before I grab hold of Bakura's arm, jumping down the stairs. The grass is soft beneath my feet, and it tickles. It makes me laugh.

Bakura eyes the pond warily, and I steer clear of the area. I almost lost my best friend because of that stupid pond.

I want to run, dance, twirl. But Bakura would probably yell at me if I did any of that, and then I'd make fun of him for being so grumpy, and then we'd be angry with each other. And this day seems so perfect, this outside day, I can't ruin it by fighting with my best friend.

Instead, I grab hold of his shoulders, pushing him down onto the grass. Bakura huffs, but lies down. I lay down next to him, and we both lay on our backs, staring at the blue, blue sky.

I watch the clouds roll by, pointing out the funny-shaped ones to Bakura, who is busy twirling pieces of grass in between his fingers. He smiles a bit when I talk, but he doesn't say anything back. The day is perfect; warm, blue skies, a gentle breeze-gods, I forgot what a breeze even feels like-and quiet save for the sounds of a few birds chirping nearly and Mariku hammering away at his table thing.

"I wonder why he does that," I say absent-mindedly, earning a perplexed look from Bakura. "Build all that furniture. He seems to do it a lot, and we don't have room for it all."

Bakura turns his attention back to the sky, resting his head on the grass. "He sells some of it. Somehow." He plucks another blade of grass from the ground, bringing it to his mouth and blowing on it before flicking it away. "He used to say he wanted start a carpentry business so he could quit working for that dumb landscaping company. I don't know if he's still trying. Hasn't happened yet, anyway."

I watch Bakura's face intently, but I can't read anything in his expression. His eyes still bother me. His eyelids seem to make his eyes wider towards the middle, and it's slightly unnerving. His eyes are less Asian-looking now, which I miss. I turn on my side, propping my head up with my hand. "He's being really nice today, with letting us outside and everything."

"Probably because you've been here a year today." Bakura says a bit carelessly.

The air whooshes out of me. "What?"

Then I remember. June fourth. It is today.

One year. I've been here one whole year. One year without seeing my brother or sister. One year without going to school. One year without seeing Yugi or Tristan or any of my other friends from school. One year since I talked to anyone other than Mariku, Akefia, or Bakura. One year.

"Oh…" Bakura turns to me with sad eyes. "You forgot."

I nod, looking to the ground. I want to cry. I really, really want to cry.

"Well, I guess that's good then." My attention snaps back to Bakura as he returns his gaze to the sky. "You wanted to be happy here, right?"

I did. I do. But I didn't want my happiness to cost me my memories. That doesn't seem like happiness to me.

I turn onto my back again, blinking back tears. I feel another hand slip into mine, and I close my eyes.

Later on, I sit and watch as Mariku rubs aloe lotion into Bakura's red skin and think about what I've forgotten. I try to recall everything about my siblings, but I find that I have a hard time even remembering what they look like.

I panic. I wonder if I'll ever see them again. I wonder if I'll ever go home again.

But where is my home? I've been living with Mariku for a year. How long do you have to live someplace before it becomes a home?

Ishizu always said that home is where the heart is. My heart is with her and Rishid, of course. But it's also with Bakura. So I guess I don't have a true home anymore.

It's funny. Mariku takes away so much. But then he gives me so much. I don't understand. Everything is so unclear.

* * *

**I dedicate the bronzeshipping in this chapter to nihao. muse. You're really awesome. Thanks for reading all of my insane, two in the morning rambles.**

**So I don't torture Bakura that much in this chapter. I mean, I give him a sunburn, but that's it...**

**Anyway. So I have an actual plot in mind for the next chapter. Oooo! This chapter was actually much easier to write than previous ones, so hopefully the writer's block is gone. I had some issues with procrastination, as I'm planning to start a Sims 3 legacy and have been obsessively modding/playing the game. I also bought a used GameBoy Advanced, along with Pokemon Blue, Yellow, and Crystal. (I looked for Ruby, but alas, they did not have it.) So I have been gaming a lot lately...(Unrelated, but has anyone noticed that Bandit Keith and Lt. Surge are the same person?)**

**So my choir is doing 'Home' from the Beauty and the Beast musical for our last concert, and I can't help but think of these boys when I sing it. Yes, I did sort of rip off the song for the last part of this chapter, but it fit. Everyone should go listen to it! Also, 'Lucy' by Skillet. I feel like it perfectly shows Rishid's feelings towards Marik's kidnapping in this fic. To YouTube, you all shall go!**

**Review please? I got a lot less reviews than normal for my last chapter...it made me sad...though I did abandon the fic for a month, so it was partially my fault. But still. But I did find out that someone recommended this fic on Tumblr. I don't know if that's really good or not or even what you said, because Tumblr confuses me and I was unable to find a post relating to my story. But thank you! It made me feel happy inside.**

**Good night everyone! Or actually...good morning. Sleep is a good idea...**

**-Fifi**


	16. The Storm

**I own a bunch of really ugly show choir dresses that I have no use for now. I do not own Yugioh.**

* * *

**Wednesday, August 3, 2005**

**Afternoon**

We need to do laundry.

Our clothes are sweaty, grass-stained-it's just gross. Lately, Bakura and I have just been tossing them in the corner of our room, allowing a green haze of stink and swirling bacteria to settle over the mountain. We put off doing the laundry for the longest time, since Akefia had finally given up on making us do it ourselves. But we finally had to face the music when we woke up this morning to find that we had hardly any clean clothes. I had to wear a sweatshirt-suffocating in this hot weather-and re-wear my jean shorts for about the ninth day in a row. Bakura got it worse. He had to borrow one of Mariku's t-shirts and wear the very last piece of clean clothing we have-a pair of tight black bicycle shorts that show everything. Bakura was self-conscious about it; Mariku liked it.

We suck it up and wrap the hazardous pile up in our-also dirty-sheets, transporting it downstairs to the washer. The smell is overpowering as we move the clothing to the washing machine, and we both hold our breath until the washer is full and the clothes we couldn't fit has been bundled up again and tossed into a corner of the room.

Bakura and I sit on the floor, playing cards while we wait for the washing machine to finish. He still beats me almost every time, but I am getting better. We've been playing a lot lately since Mariku has declared that we are on 'summer vacation' and are not allowed to have school. I miss having school a little bit, but it's been okay going without for the most part. Mariku or Akefia have let us go outside nearly every day if it's nice out, and we usually go out right after breakfast and stay out until it gets dark. We run around, play dumb games with each other, or try to blow things up. Akefia taught us how to make a bottle rocket, which he probably regrets now because we are constantly guzzling Sprite so we can use the plastic bottles.

We've also gotten really into watching summer shows. At least, I've gotten really into them. Bakura says they're stupid and I am rotting my brain. Every night after Mariku returns home and Akefia goes to work, the three of us gather on the couch in the living room. I sit in the middle, watching TV as Bakura sits off to the side, curled up against the arm of the couch and reading his book. Mariku sits on the side closest to the door, and he usually has his arm around my shoulders the entire time, which I try to ignore.

Sex works a bit differently now that we're living in Mariku's house. Our beds are too small for even me and Bakura to sleep together, (though that doesn't really stop us) so Mariku definitely can't fit. So when he wants to have sex, one of us has to go sleep in his room with him. And we always have to be tied up or handcuffed to the headboard, because there's a working phone and a computer connected to the internet in his room.

Which I think is weird. What am I going to do, call somebody five feet away from him while he's asleep? Besides, who would I call?

I mean, I would like to call Rishid. Not to ask him to come get me or anything, but just to talk to him. Hear his voice again. Tell him I'm okay. That's all I'd want. Maybe when I'm older and Mariku trusts me more he'll let me do it.

But for now, we're watched. We're watched when we go outside, with Mariku usually building something over by the garage or Akefia sitting in a lawn chair, drinking and smoking and reading a book. We're watched even when we're inside the house, behind locked doors. I don't know what they're so afraid of. What are we going to do?

For now, I'm just grateful that we're allowed outside. For the longest time, I barely thought twice about being inside. I wanted to go outside, sure, but I didn't feel like I would die without it.

But now, my legs itch when I'm not running. My skin feels cold to the touch when the sun's hot rays aren't beaming down on me. And it drives me insane if we don't spend every minute of sunlight outdoors.

I think Bakura feels that way too. He gets up early, at least early for him, every day so we can eat and go outside. Sometimes he lies in the grass and reads his book, which is fine with me. Usually I just lay down next to him, sometimes with my own book or magazine, or sometimes I just take a nap in the sun. It's so, so nice to have practically unlimited access to the sun.

I don't think Bakura is as thrilled with it as I am, since he has to slather himself in sunblock every few hours and has still managed to get burned a million times. I haven't put sunscreen on once all summer, and I haven't gotten a bit of sunburn. Oh well. At least Bakura has a bit of color now. And my hair has been bleached to practically white, so we match in that regard.

Thunder cracks overhead, and both mine and Bakura's heads snap to the ceiling, where the lights flicker once. Bakura quickly turns back to his cards. I sigh, looking out the window, where raindrops have been pelting the glass all morning. This storm came out of nowhere. Yesterday was a clear, sunny day, and we just woke up today to darkness and rain.

The sky lights up again, quickly followed by another clap of thunder. Bakura seems unconcerned plays another monster. I fidget. I don't like storms. Rain is okay. But storms freak me out. Back when I lived with my family, I slept in Rishid's bed with him whenever there was a storm, even though Father told him to send me back to my room if I tried to sleep with him. Rishid would turn his radio on low volume and we'd burrow under the covers, whispering to each other until I fell asleep. If it wasn't nighttime, we'd sit on the kitchen floor and play board games while we waited out the storm. He'd never admit it, but I think the storms even scared him a little bit.

Now Rishid is living alone in his apartment. He has no one to play board games with today, no one to lay with him tonight. I wish more than ever I could visit him, just for today.

Another crack of thunder, and this time the lights go out. The house is silent save for the sounds of rain pounding away at the windows for a few seconds.

"Goddammit…" Akefia curses loudly. "Boys! Get in here!"

Bakura and I quickly push ourselves to our feet, wandering into the living room. Akefia mutters to himself as he digs through a drawer, finally pulling a flashlight out and clicking it on.

"No fucking power…" Akefia flips the light switch a few times, as if that's going to turn our electricity back on. The flashlight in his hand rolls over the room, casting light off everything. Mariku, illuminated by the flashlight, folds his arms.

"Chill out. Worst case scenario, we light some candles and hang out until they fix the power. Not a big deal."

"I wanted to keep an eye on the weather forecast, you know, to make sure we're not in the path of a fucking tornado or something!" Akefia hisses. As if on cue, the sirens begin to go off. Akefia throws his hands up in the air. "Oh, for the love of-"

"Calm down." Mariku is already crossing the floor. "I have a battery-powered radio in the garage. We'll all sit in there until this all blows over."

Akefia mutters angrily, but follows Mariku.

I grab a blanket off the couch and follow, waiting as Mariku punches in the passcode to the garage. He gets the door open and quickly motions us inside.

I've never been in the garage, but I get bored of it quickly. Lots of tools, lots of wood scraps, lots of used paint cans. A beat-up gray car that looks at least ten years old sits there, rusting, and Mariku's trash and recycling sit right off to the side of the stairs. A few plastic bins with holidays written on the sides are stacked by the wall, and a wooden door with a glass window too dusty to see through at the back. A normal, boring garage.

I sit down in between the stairs and the box towers, but Akefia yells at me and tells me it's not safe to sit there, where all the boxes could fall on me. I move farther out, closer to the car. Bakura plops down next to me. I quickly unfold the blanket, wrapping it around our shoulders. Bakura grabs his side of the blanket and curls into it, laying down and putting his head in my lap.

"You okay, 'Kura?" I ask, touching his face. Bakura just closes his eyes and nods.

"I'm just really tired."

"I kept him up late last night," Mariku says with a grin. Akefia turns and glares at him with a look of pure poison. Mariku just grins wider.

Akefia finally turns away, a sour look on his face. "You're disgusting."

"Isn't that sort of the pot calling the kettle black?"

"No, it's the pot saying you can go shove it up your-"

"Can we please just turn the radio on?" Bakura yells, not even bothering to open his eyes.

Mariku sighs and gets to his feet. Soon I can hear static and a faint male voice.

I settle down, huddling into the blanket. Bakura pretty much falls asleep with his head in my lap, and I stroke his hair absent-mindedly while listening to the sounds of the storm outside. I wish I could be as calm as him. He doesn't even seem to care about the storm. And here I am, my heart pounding in my chest and fighting back tears. I hate storms.

Mariku and Akefia continue to fight on the other side of the room in hushed voices. I strain to hear them, but give up when I realize that the storm is too loud. It's not like they're talking about anything new, I guess. They've been fighting constantly for months.

I don't know what happened to Mariku's plan to get rid of Akefia. I think he finally figured out that he needs Akefia around for Bakura. Bakura seems to get sick easily, and Akefia is usually the only one who knows how to take care of him. Bakura won't take medicine from Mariku either, he only takes it from Akefia, or me if I tell him to take it. And Bakura gets really pissed off on the days Akefia doesn't come over to watch us. He doesn't say so, but I can tell.

I think it's all really weird, because Bakura doesn't even seem to like Akefia. Whenever Akefia is here, Bakura doesn't really talk to him. Just sits and sulks in his grumpy Bakura ways. When I remember back to when Akefia would have sex with Bakura with me in the room, Bakura never really even tried to interact with him, not even doing what he did with Mariku. Bakura never participated in the sex, he just lied there and waited for it to be done, and I don't think I've ever seen Bakura give Akefia a blowjob. But Akefia doesn't really seem to want Bakura to suck on his penis, or to fuck him in different positions. Akefia just wants to be close to Bakura, and I think it hurts him that Bakura acts this way.

"All I'm saying is," Akefia says, a bit louder, as he lights up a cigarette. "We have a responsibility to these boys. You don't seem to grasp that. If you-"

"Tell me one more time about how I'm being irresponsible and I will take that cigarette and shove it up your ass."

Akefia blows a ring of smoke angrily, his face illuminated in the soft red glow of his cigarette tip. "That's real mature. Instead of owning up to your actions, just get angry with me. That makes a lot of sense."

They talk more in low voices I can't hear. I play with Bakura's hair. He's fast asleep now, oblivious to the worsening storm. I'm absolutely terrified now. The sirens are still going off, and I can hear the wind pushing up against the side of the garage, loud bangs sounding periodically as tree branches or other large objects slam against the siding.

"You two doing alright over there?" Akefia calls. I sniff and swallow hard, trying to dissolve the lump in my throat.

"We're fine."

"Bakura?"

"He's asleep." I say. Bakura stirs in my lap.

"I'm awake, you bastard…" He mutters.

_CRASH._

We all freeze. The tinkling of broken glass echoes behind the door, inside the house. Bakura jumps, sitting up. I wrap my arms around him tight, and strangely enough, he does too. Akefia puts out his cigarette, getting up and moving over to us.

"Fucking hell…" He puts his hands on both our shoulders. "Mariku, we need to move the boys."

They need to what?

"No, we fucking don't."

"What are we going to do when one of them gets hurt?!" Akefia yells, waving his arms. "Either of us, we can go to the hospital, no problem. But you would rather risk their lives rather than risk someone figuring out who they are!"

Mariku stares back, impassive. "Where would you have us take them?"

Akefia seems to deflate slightly. "To a storm shelter. There's one not too far away."

"No."

"Why not?!" Akefia motions angrily. "If either one of them gets hurt and I can't fix it, they're dead. Do you hear me? Dead."

Akefia stops to take a deep breath. Bakura and I remain silent.

"And I'm not helping you hide any dead bodies." Akefia resumes. "I'll go to the police. I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life sitting in a prison cell."

"So will you.' Mariku's expression doesn't change. He is still perfectly calm. "I haven't done anything that you haven't done."

Akefia is completely silent.

Mariku continues. "Plus it's your nephew. Juries aren't very sympathetic towards incest. You're way more likely to receive a life sentence than me."

Bakura shakes in my arms. I rub his back gently, but he doesn't relax.

"Not if one of them dies," Akefia says quietly. The wind outside picks up, rain beating against the roof even harder than before. "Juries aren't very sympathetic to denying medical attention to an injured child, either."

Now it's Mariku's turn to be quiet.

"Besides, if one of them gets hurt again, I'm taking them both away. I'm done with you shit."

A loud boom resonates outside. Bakura jumps, and I squeeze him tightly. Akefia's arms come around us.

"There's a free clinic a couple hours away." Our heads snap to Mariku, still holding the flashlight, his face still blank. "No one there should recognize either of them right off the bat. If one of them gets hurt, really hurt, we can take him there. That's the best you're getting."

Akefia breathes out a shaky sigh. "Thank you."

_CRASH._

Bakura yells out and tightens his grip on me, burying his face in my shoulder. I clutch the back of his shirt, watching as wind rushes through the garage, throwing objects to the floor and toppling a few things off the shelves. A large bit of the door's broken window pane flies into a stack of plastic boxes, bringing the entire tower to the floor, plastic skeletons and broken bits of Christmas ornaments scattering across the floor. Akefia grabs the back of our shirt collars, yanking us up then pushing us back to the ground. He gets on top of us and covers us with his body.

But Mariku just….sits there. Sits there and watches us, all with that completely blank look on his face.

Then Akefia shoves my face to the floor, and we wait even after the wind stops blowing and the thunder sounds far away. We wait even after the sirens have turned off and Mariku has gotten up and left the room. Bakura and I wait with one arm around each other, Akefia's body pressing against us and breathing hard. Even after the storm.

* * *

**Thursday, August 4, 2005**

**Evening**

_Dear Rishid and Ishizu-_

_I hope you guys are okay after that storm we had yesterday, the one that spat out a tornado. The news said that four people died, one in the actual tornado and the other three when lightning struck the community center and started a fire. I feel so, so terrible for those people, but I was really happy to hear that none of them were people I knew. I hope that neither of you are hurt._

_All of us are fine here. We hid in the garage at the end of the storm, but part of a tree flew into the door and knocked the window pane out, which was scary. Akefia held me and Bakura down to protect us, so we're okay, but Akefia got a big cut up his back from the flying glass. He drove himself to the doctor to get stitches because he couldn't reach it himself. He says he's okay now, though._

_The storm also blew out a window in Mariku's living room, and it toppled a tree in the woods behind Mariku's house. Guess where it landed? It landed on top of the shed and collapsed nearly half the roof._

_The big chunks of the roof fell on top of our bed and our table. Both are completely destroyed. The stove was damaged and was leaking gas, so Mariku and Akefia took care of that pretty quickly. They said everything else should be salvageable, though. We'll have to repair the roof and put in new flooring. For now, we're just covering up the hole with a tarp. Bakura and I were supposed to move back into the shed after the summer because both Mariku and Akefia are busier then, but I guess that's just not happening. Mariku said we could totally renovate the shed if we wanted to, since we're gonna have to replace everything anyways. I don't know exactly what we could renovate…I mean, the shed isn't very big. We'll get new furniture, which will be nice, and we'll be able to repaint the place, but I don't know what else we could do with it._

_I guess we'll just stay in our room, for now. Mariku and Akefia have stuck us in there pretty much since the storm, since there's a broken window in the living room and Mariku doesn't want us near that. The tree also fell on the fence, so part of the fence has collapsed. And that also took out some of the barbed wire Mariku has set up on top of the fence, which cut off the electric current. Mariku says he doesn't feel comfortable with us being out of our room since there's so many 'escape opportunities.' I think he's being stupid, because if we wanted to escape after the last time, we would have found a way by now. _

_Nothing else is really going on around here. Bakura and I are still bored, even more so now that we're stuck in our room. Mariku says when he gets the window fixed, he's going to put us to work cleaning the house. I actually don't really mind. At least it's something to do. Plus if Akefia is watching us we can play music while we work._

_I love you guys. Hope you're doing alright._

_-Marik_

* * *

**Saturday, August 13, 2005**

**Night**

"Come on, please?"

"No."

"Please, Bakura? You won't feel a thing, I promise."

"The answer is no, Marik. Quit bothering me about it."

I pout and retreat to the opposite side of the room, leaning against the wall and crossing my arms. Bakura doesn't even look up from his book.

"It'll only take like, five minutes, and-"

"No!"

"-it would look so much better!"

Bakura throws his book down and sighs, exasperated. "Marik, I told you I don't care if-"

"But I care! Your hair is so pretty, Bakura, if you took care of it, it would look so nice!"

"I don't want it to look nice." He folds his arms and stares at the wall. "I don't care what I look like."

I cross the room and reach out, touching his hair. He doesn't even flinch. "But I like your hair…" I say quietly.

Bakura doesn't take his eyes off the wall. "You really want to?"

"Yes!"

"And you promise to leave me the fuck alone if I let you?"

"Yes, I promise!"

"Fine," he mutters.

A grin spreads out across my face, and I run over to our dresser and grab my hairbrush. Bakura huffs, but doesn't say anything. I sit down behind him and take his hair out of its ponytail. He washed it this morning, and the part that was covered by his hair binder is still wet. I separate the strands of hair with my fingers, gripping the brush in my right hand. Bakura sits up a bit straighter, and I begin to pull the brush through his hair.

"Can I braid your hair?" I ask excitedly.

"If you really feel the need to."

I smile, and continue brushing his hair. I try to talk to Bakura a bit, but he doesn't really respond. I only get a response out of him when I complain about how his hair refuses to stay flat, where he laughs. Really, I don't care that his hair sticks up all over the place. I'm just happy that he's letting me do this.

The front door slams shut, but we don't really pay attention to it. Mariku has pretty much been ignoring us the past few days, only bothering with us to feed us. Akefia already gave us dinner before he went to work, plus it's late, so Mariku probably thinks we're asleep. He won't care enough to check for lights under the door.

Honestly, I've wanted to take a brush to Bakura's hair for days. He just lets it get all snarled, and his split ends are kind of insane. Akefia mentioned giving him a haircut earlier today, but Bakura just rolled his eyes.

Footsteps up the stairs. I tell Bakura a joke, and he actually laughs this time.

The door swings open. We both freeze.

Mariku's foggy eyes seem to focus on us, but I can't really be sure. He mumbles something and stumbles a bit. I gently lay the brush down on the bed, eyeing him warily.

Suddenly, Mariku pitches forward, flying at us with a wild look in his eye and an animalistic cry ripping from his throat.

Bakura opens his mouth, spouting some excuse about why we're up so late, but Mariku's hands are already on him. Mariku rips Bakura from the bed, throwing him to the other side of the room. Bakura crashes against the dresser, bringing a couple bottles and a stick of deodorant down.

Mariku turns his eyes to me, and I raise my hand up against him, like that will protect me. "No, wait, I'll just-"

Mariku seizes my shirt, ripping it up over my head, a deep growl vibrating in his throat. I plead some more, but Mariku's hands just go straight to my jeans, pulling them and my boxers down in one swift motion.

Mariku pushes me into the mattress, banging his head against the top bunk as he maneuvers into the tight bottom bunk. He swears, but somehow manages to fit.

I don't even try to argue as Mariku pulls down his zipper. I know it's a hopeless cause.

Mariku shoves into me, not even bothering to prepare me. I gasp and throw my hand over my mouth, fingers digging into the sheets. Mariku grunts as he starts pumping, fast and hard and unending.

I try to focus on the grainy wood holding up my bunk above us, biting down on my pointer finger. I've had sex with Mariku enough to know that it'll be over soon enough and that I'll be okay afterwards. I just have to focus on something else, or go to my happy place. My eyes slip closed, and I try to focus on blue water, the smell of salty air…

_Oh, fuck._

There it is again. Mariku is hitting 'the spot.'

It's happened a couple times over the past few months. Not every time I have sex with Mariku, but a lot. We'll be having sex, and I suddenly get this randomly _good _feeling while he's going in and out of me. I want him to keep doing it, and I _need _someone to touch my privates.

And I hate it. I hate it so much.

Usually Mariku is already rubbing me, trying to get me to cum, but I never do. Mariku always cums before I get anywhere close. Which is fine with me.

Now, Mariku isn't touching me at all. But this…_feeling _is still here, and it's getting bigger. And it _keeps _getting bigger, like a balloon about to burst. Only it doesn't burst. It just keeps going. And going and going and going…

I hold my breath until my brain feels fuzzy. I try to think about my siblings, try to get my mind off of this, but nothing works. Absolutely nothing.

Mariku shudders, and I feel him release inside me. He pulls out pretty quickly, not even looking at me as he gets up and zips his jeans back up. He turns to the door, but looks back at Bakura, still sitting on the floor. Bakura stares back, an impassive expression on his face. Mariku locks eyes with him for a long minute before scoffing and turning away. "Your hair looks fucking stupid."

The door slams in its frame, key turning in the lock.

I lay there, breathing heavily. Bakura gets to his feet and pads over to the bed, sitting down by my legs.

"Marik?"

I don't answer. Bakura shifts.

"Marik, it's okay."

I force myself to raise my head and meet his eye. Bakura stares back at me, an oddly sympathetic look in his eye. His gaze turns downwards, to my crotch, where my unbearably hard penis sticks nearly straight up in the air.

I breath in, letting my head drop back down on the pillow. "I hate this."

The bed shifts, and I look up to see that Bakura has moved onto his knees, sitting right in between my spread legs. He locks eyes with me, and holds the gaze. "Do you want me to help you feel better?" he whispers.

I stare at him for a minute, finally biting my lip and nodding.

Bakura's eyes flick down to my still rock-hard penis before leaning over. His wraps his hand around the base, bringing his face close to it. I watch intently as Bakura breathes out and closes his eyes.

And he takes my entire penis into his mouth.

I gasp, my back arching and thrusting my hips up. I feel Bakura gag, and I immediately force myself back down. Bakura is still for a second before moving up to suck on the head. I cover my mouth with my hand to muffle a moan, my fingers threading through Bakura's hair.

Bakura continues to suck for a while, rubbing the base with his hand. I allow my head to drop back onto the pillow and close my eyes, drinking in the sensations.

Bakura does remove his mouth after a bit, rubbing the entire length with his hand and delivering a few long licks. Then his mouth is back, swallowing me whole.

My penis tightens almost painfully, and I want, I _need _to let it out. But something is keeping me here, something is keeping me together…I prop myself up on my elbows, watching Bakura's wild mess of hair bob up and down, up and down.

Then Bakura tilts his face up, brown eyes peaking at me through a curtain of wispy white hair. Our eyes meet, and all the tension inside me just explodes.

I gasp. Bakura keeps his mouth around my penis until I'm completely spent, only detaching his mouth after I've flopped back onto the bed, exhausted. His hand immediately comes to his lips, and I raise my hands.

"It's okay, you don't have to swallow for me. You can spit it out."

Bakura makes a face, and I see his Adam's apple move. He takes his hand away, the corners of his mouth turning upwards in a short, special smile. It's gone all too quick, but it was there.

"It's okay. I don't mind."

Bakura attempts to sit up, but I grab hold of his shirt sleeve and pull him to me. I wrap one arm around him as I pull our blankets over us. Bakura deflates, relaxing as I snuggle him against my chest. I kiss the top of his head, and he doesn't even grumble.

"Thank you, Bakura."

Bakura's eyes slip shut. "Wanker…" he whispers.

* * *

**So this is late. Yeah...sorry bout that.**

**My excuse, as it has always been, is choir. We went to Nationals this past weekend, and I had pretty constant practices before that. I did work on this on the bus rides (sixteen hours, woohoo!) but it's nearly impossible to focus in that environment. I did get a bit of work done in my hotel room while recovering from re-injuring my back. Oh yeah, I tore a muscle in my back like, three weeks ago. (At work. I don't know how I accomplished that working at a movie theater concession stand, but you know, I'm talented and that crap.) Then I forgot about it and tried to pick up something heavy and hurt it again. I spent about two and a half hours laying on an ice pack in bed. Still performed the next day, though! (I also got punched in the boob that day, but I've already veered off topic enough.)**

**So anyway. About the story. You know what I said about there being plot in this chapter? I lied. But I GUARANTEE that there will be plot in the next chapter. And it will be out sooner.**

**I dedicate the hairbrushing scene and the bit of bronzeshipping to nihao. muse once again. Did I satisfy your hairbrushing fetish? **

**In other news, I have fanart! budgefan1990 drew a picture of Marik and Bakura drawing and being cute kids and posted it on her tumblr. It made me really happy. I sent her like, a super long message basically just fangirling about it. I think I scared her, though...**

**Note: If you review/message me, I will send you crazy long responses back. You are free to ignore parts or all of them if you like. I am not offended.**

**Anyway, the picture is awesome so you should all go stare at it. Replace the dots with actual dots, of course.**

**ishtardashians dot tumblr dot com/post/45244623740/kawaii-binary-scribble-of-a-v ery-unkawaii**

**I enjoy having fanart. This is my very first piece of fanart, so I'm going bananas over it.**

**Review, please! Now I must leave you all to do a religion project before I sleep. (On what, you ask? I'm really not sure. The subject matter wasn't very clear. Time to exercise my BSing skills.)**

**-RobotFai**


	17. Doctoring

**I own this randomly long-ass chapter. I don't own Yugioh.**

* * *

**Monday, January 9, 2006**

**Early, Early Morning**

My mouth tastes like crap, even after I brush my teeth. My entire body feels grimy and sweaty, and I have a pounding headache. I lay down on the couch, wincing a bit as the pain in my back intensifies. Mariku spreads a blanket over me, patting my head awkwardly.

"I called Akefia," he says, still hovering over me. "He said he's just going to throw on some clothes and then he'll be right over."

I nod and snuggle into the blankets.

The floor creaks as Bakura sits down on the rug next to the couch. He doesn't say anything, just sits there next to me. I don't mind.

I've felt sick for the past three days. Nothing major, really…just weak and tired. I've had a slight temperature, but Mariku wasn't really worried. He said I just needed rest and lots of vitamin C, so I've just been laying around the house and drinking orange juice for a while. I thought it would just go away on its own.

A couple minutes ago, I woke up with an acute pain in my back and a turbulent feeling in my stomach. I made it to the bathroom before I threw up. I guess Bakura heard and woke Mariku up. Mariku took one look at me, felt my forehead, and immediately went off to call Akefia.

Bakura helped me downstairs so I could lay on the couch. I clench my jaw as another wave of red hot pain pulses from the middle of my back.

A series of loud, fast knocks come from the front door. Mariku quickly crosses the kitchen to unlock and open the door. Akefia doesn't bother to greet Mariku before he shoves him aside and barges in.

"So how sick is this kid that you had me come over at two in the fucking morning?" Akefia rants. Mariku shuts the door behind him. "I mean, if you of all people are concerned, it must be serious, but it seemed like a harmless cold last time I checked!"

Mariku's eyebrows knit together, and he gestures angrily to me. "Akefia, he's burning up. He was violently sick just a minute ago. I'm pretty sure it's gotten a bit more serious."

Akefia walks over to me and places his hand on my forehead, but quickly retracts it. "Damn…" he mutters. "Mariku, have you taken his temperature?"

"Not yet."

"Well, why the fuck not?! Go get the thermometer!"

Mariku turns and heads for the stairs. Akefia makes a shooing motion in Bakura's direction. "Bakura, get back. If he's seriously sick with something, you don't need to be catching it."

Bakura gets to his feet and sits down in an armchair a few feet away. Mariku comes back down with his thermometer. Akefia quickly takes it from him and sticks it in my mouth.

We wait until it beeps, at which point Akefia takes it out of my mouth and examines it. "Oh, damn…" He mutters. He gets to his feet and turns around. "He needs to go to the emergency room. Now."

Mariku folds his arms. "No."

"Mariku, I told you before, I-"

"There's got to be something you can do here, dammit! You nearly graduated medical school, for crying out loud! Are you going to tell me that you can't even help a kid with a little fever?"

"104.2 is NOT a 'little' fever! And there could be a million different causes for a high fever, I don't have the equipment to determine what the problem is!"

Akefia throws something at Mariku, who bats it to the ground before it has the chance to hit him. Akefia just glares at him, seething. "I told you, Mariku, I'm not going to let you kill them. Pull this shit with me, and I will put both these boys in my car and drive them to the other side of the country. If you somehow stop me and Marik gets worse, I'm calling the police. I refuse to watch you play with their lives like the fucking Sims or whatever."

Mariku glares back with enough venom to kill.

Akefia seems to deflate slightly, but holds his stance. "What about the free clinic? They won't ask for any paperwork. They'll figure out what the problem is and give him something to fix it."

"You want me to take him out in public?" Mariku says angrily. But I can tell he's crumbling.

"Do you want Marik to die?"

Mariku holds his staring contest with Akefia for a minute before sighing and looking away. He rubs the back of his neck with his hand, looking defeated. "Fine. We'll take him to the free clinic. See what they have to say. But we're going to one outside the city limits. Anyone living in Domino will recognize him."

Akefia breathes out a sigh of relief. "Great. Do you have directions?"

Mariku's heavy feet shuffle across the wooden floor. "No. I'll go look it up online."

Akefia kneels down in front of the couch as Mariku runs upstairs. I shiver a bit as Akefia places his hand back on my forehead. "Can you talk to me, Marik?"

I open my mouth, but my throat feels so dry I can't get anything out. Akefia gets me a glass of water and supports my head as I drink. I still can't get any words out. Akefia sighs. "Alright then, Bakura. Was he this bad when you went to bed?"

"No. Just his regular cold stuff. I woke up and he was puking his guts out in the toilet, and he looked greenish and sweaty, so I woke up Mariku."

"Did you guys eat anything yesterday that would have upset his stomach like this?"

Bakura shifts. "No. I don't think so. He didn't eat much yesterday, anyway. He was talking about how his back hurt, though."

Akefia leans in closer. "Does your back still hurt, Marik?"

Weakly, I nod. Akefia motions for me to turn onto my stomach. "I'm going to push on some parts of your back. If it hurts, motion to Bakura somehow."

"Give me that Star Trek sign." I smile a bit, and so does Bakura.

"Live long and prosper? You can't refer to that as 'that Star Trek sign…" Akefia mutters.

Akefia begins to press on my back, starting in the lowest area right above my butt. Nothing. He gradually moves up, until he hits the area right above my hips. My back arches without me trying to do so, and a strangled sound emits from my throat.

"Well, that's obviously hurting you there…" Akefia leans back, thinking. "Have you felt any pain going to the bathroom lately?"

I nod. Akefia gets to his feet. Bakura jumps up as well. "Is he going to be okay, Uncle?"

Akefia looks away. "I can't say anything before he gets any tests done, but it sounds like a bad kidney or bladder infection. Those are usually not a problem, they can be treated with antibiotics. Your mom used to get bladder infections all the time…"

Bakura looks down to the ground, and Akefia snaps out of his reverie. He turns back to me.

"What I'm concerned about," he places his hand on my forehead again. "is how high his fever is. If it's actually an infection, it's pretty nasty."

Both of them are silent for a minute. Akefia gets to his feet. "I'm going to give you some Tylenol, Marik. Hopefully it'll help bring down the fever."

I hear Akefia shuffling around the medicine cabinet. Bakura comes over and pets my hair. "How come you never finished up medical school, Uncle?" he asks quietly.

"Wasn't my choice," Akefia says gruffly. "They kicked me out because I was failing all my courses."

"Why?"

"Shit's hard and requires hours of studying. I was, um, dealing with some problems at the time." The sink turns on for a second. "Was my last year, too. I'm still paying off the student loans."

He walks back over and gives me the pills. I put them in my mouth and Akefia helps me take a drink from the glass of water in his hand. Bakura shifts on the couch. "Can you pick up where you left off if you ever go back?"

Akefia shrugs. "More or less. I had most of my credits done. The problem would be finding the time to do it and paying for that shit."

The steps creak as Mariku comes back downstairs. "The clinic opens at six," he announces. "and it's about a two and a half to three hour drive from here. If we leave now, we'll get there a bit before it opens and beat the worst of the line. We could be back by noon."

"We seriously can't go anywhere closer?" Akefia turns around. Mariku huffs.

"No. I told you, someone living in Domino will recognize him."

"I don't think most people obsess over little Arabic children like you do. It's been a year and a half, the majority of the population has probably forgotten he ever existed."

"Do you want to take him to a doctor or not?!"

Akefia sighs, getting to his feet. "Fine, fine. Marik, can you stand?"

I nod and push myself up into a sitting position. Akefia wraps his hands around my arms and pulls me up. I lean against him for support. Bakura stands up. "I want to go with him."

"No." Mariku says from the opposite side of the room. "No way in hell."

Bakura folds his arms. "But Marik is my best friend. Why can't I go?!"

"I'm sorry, buddy." Akefia sighs. "Rules are rules. We'll be back as soon as possible. Why don't you bring some of Marik's clothes down here so we can get him changed?"

Bakura mumbles some more, but does what Akefia asks.

Ten minutes later I'm dressed in a tan sweatshirt, jeans, and a thick pair of socks. Bakura helps me put on the boots Mariku bought me so I could go outside in the snow. Akefia helps me into the backseat of the car and fastens the seatbelt around me. It's been so long since I've ridden in a car, the seatbelt feels weird. But I'm really in too much pain to care. Mariku shoos Bakura back into the house. "Right, then. Go back to sleep, or watch TV. I don't really care. Just behave yourself."

"Please let me come with."

"Ask me one more time and I'll shove a cucumber up your ass."

"Mariku," Akefia scolds. Mariku sighs.

"Whatever. Just get back in the house and _behave_. I'm trusting you, Bakura. Don't make me regret doing so."

With that, Mariku slams the door in Bakura's face. He walks over and swings himself into the driver's seat. Akefia, strapping himself into the passenger seat, gives him a look. "Was that really necessary?"

Mariku starts the car. I jump as everything begins shaking, but then I force myself to calm down. Cars have always been like this. I'm just…not used to it.

"What? I'm just telling him he needs to behave. The little bastard is too smart for his own good." Mariku pushes a button, and the garage door opens behind us.

"He's been here for over six years, and he doesn't have Marik with him. I don't think he's going to try to escape."

Mariku throws the car in reverse, grumbling. "Well, neither of us thought they would try to escape from the shed, but they tried. And nearly got away with it."

Akefia rubs his temples. "That was different."

"How so?"

"Bakura was clearly depressed then. I told you about it and you did nothing to absolve the situation. He realized that he wasn't happy here and tried to fix it." He lights up a cigarette and rolls down the window. "And Marik was still scared to death of being here. Again, you did nothing to make him feel more comfortable."

"What should I have done?" Mariku sounds angry.

"Show some compassion? Let them know that you actually care about then. With actions, Mariku, not just words. God, it's like dealing with a six-year-old sometimes."

"I care about them," Mariku grumbles, his eyes on the darkened road in front of him. "They know I do."

"Do they? Do they really?" Akefia taps some ash into a coke can in the cupholder. I really hope it's empty. "If they knew that, they wouldn't have tried to run away."

Did they forget I'm here? Maybe they think I'm not paying attention.

"I told them I loved them all the time," Mariku says with a flicker of dejection in his voice. "I could never figure out why they tried to run away. I kept Bakura in the shed with Marik because I thought Marik would adjust better with someone his age around. Bakura seemed happy before that."

"He wasn't 'happy,' Mariku, he tolerated his situation."

"What's the difference?"

Akefia sighs. "I don't know why Bakura got so depressed after Marik got here. I've wondered for a year and a half. All I know is that he decided he was unhappy and tried to do something about it."

"Marik said the escape was his idea."

"He was terrified of you back then, Mariku, don't you remember? He did whatever you asked and stayed completely silent. That's where you went wrong. You should have been helping him with the transition, instead of just dropping him in the shed with Bakura and expecting everything to work out."

Mariku huffs. "Everything should have worked out. Everything did with Bakura."

Akefia twists in his seat. "Oh, you mean how he was cutting himself at ten? Yeah, that worked out great."

Bakura was…cutting himself?"

"I thought that was because of his cat dying. He was pretty devastated about that."

"Because that stupid cat was the only living thing he felt a connection to! He felt estranged from us."

"That wasn't my fault."

Akefia puffs on his cigarette. "It was most certainly your fault. You used him as a sex object and never tried to build a relationship with him. You know, an actual relationship, where two people talk and spend time together." More puffs. "Then you made it hard as fuck for me to see him."

"Hey, I was trying to help you out. You've got most of your student loans paid back now, don't you?"

Akefia puffs on his cigarette a few more times, then stubs it out in the coke can. "That's not the point. The point is that your shady druggies were hounding me day and night and I could hardly ever sneak away to visit him."

Mariku slams on the breaks for a red light. "Again, was just trying to help you out."

"Well, you succeeded in keeping Bakura away from human contact. If he wasn't afraid of us before that, he certainly was after spending all that time practically quarantined."

"You're being ungrateful."

"That's not the point." Akefia sighs and rubs his temples. "You don't understand how these boys work. They're not going to want to stay unless they have a reason to stay. You've never given them that."

"I don't need to." Mariku speaks quietly, keeping his eyes focused on the winding road in front of him. "They can't leave. Why should I care if they want to stay or not?"

Akefia turns his head. "Mariku, you can't be serious."

"About what?"

"You…you seriously think that you can just put up a fence and they'll just stay put? Forever?"

"Okay, first off, it's an electric fence, and-"

"That's not the point, Mariku. Have you given any thought to what's going to happen when the boys are adults?"

Mariku slows the car. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when they grow up!" Akefia gestures angrily. "They're going to get older eventually. They'll be adults. Full-grown adults. What are you planning to do, just keep them locked up in that tiny little room until they're thirty? Forty?"

Mariku is silent. Akefia goes on.

"And are you planning to just keep them locked away from the outside world? Never having any contact with anyone besides the two of us? There's no way that's even humane, Mariku, and let me tell you-"

"We're done talking about this," Mariku says through gritted teeth.

"No, I-"

"No, I said we're done, so we're done!" Mariku brings his fist down on the dashboard. The car veers towards the center of the room, and I grab hold of the seat in front of me to avoid hitting the door. "Goddammit, listen to me every one in a while! You need to learn to keep your fucking mouth shut."

Akefia doesn't answer this time. Mariku continues driving, more normally this time.

We drive for what seems like forever. I'm still in pain, but the Tylenol Akefia gave helps alleviate my headache and some of my back pain. I wish I could lay down, though.

I keep my eyes glued to the window, watching the lights and houses whiz by. It's been so, so long since I left Mariku's house and yard. Just once in over a year and a half, for less than ten minutes. Part of me forgot this outside world actually existed.

But it did. It does.

My heartrate jumps erratically when I see my first person. It's a woman; which also seems crazy, when was the last time I've seen a woman? She has brown hair and a white blouse on. She looks tired, about to fall asleep at the wheel. She soon turns off into a residential neighborhood, and I say a quick goodbye to her in my head.

I'm excited when we see more people, but the excitement wears off as my nausea kicks up again. I know I can't throw up anymore; I have nothing left in my stomach. So I lean over and put my head between my legs as my stomach roots around angrily to find something to push back up my esophagus.

After the nausea passes, I just feel pain. Akefia looks back at me at some point and tells me I should try to nap to make the time go by faster, but I'm in too much pain.

We pass most of the ride in silence, me in pain. It isn't until we're almost to the clinic that Akefia says something.

"Let me do all the talking," He says. Mariku looks at him, befuddled.

"What? No way."

"Yes. I know what questions these guys are going to ask," Akefia says through gritted teeth. "You might say something suspicious. Something that'll set off alarm bells with the doctor. They'll think something's up, and then they'll give CPS a call and tell them to check it out. I think you can imagine the shit storm that would unleash."

Mariku huffs. "Just tell me what I should say, then."

"I can't do that, there's a million things they could ask!"

"Well, what are you proposing we do?!" Mariku throws one hand in the air, the other still wrapped around the steering wheel.

Akefia seems to think for a minute. "I'll tell them you don't speak English," He says, earning a confused look from Mariku. "I'll tell them you're a recent immigrant from Egypt and this is your son. God knows you two look enough alike."

"I don't know Arabic, or whatever the hell they speak in Egypt."

'We speak Arabic,' I think.

"I'm almost positive they speak Arabic. Right, Marik?" Akefia twists around in his seat to look at me. I nod. "See? Marik was born there, he'd know." He adjusts his seatbelt. "And you don't have to know it. I don't know it either. I'll pretend to be your translator. Just say gibberish and shake your head if I need you to answer a question. I'll keep it to yes or no questions with you, let me take care of everything else."

"It's a fucking stupid idea…" Mariku mutters.

Akefia goes on. "We'll need to think of something else to call Marik too, since that would be a dead giveaway. What's a name that seems Egyptian…"

"Namu," Mariku grunts. Akefia looks at him.

"Namu? Why…"

"I don't fucking know. It's one of the only things I remember from my parents forcing me to go to those youth groups or whatever for kids with Egyptian heritage. I remember some kid named Namu. That's the only one I can remember. We'll call him that."

"Fine." Akefia folds his arms as Mariku turns into a parking lot. "Just remember, you don't speak English. Not a word of it. And try not to act suspicious."

"How would you define 'acting suspicious?'"

"Just don't act like you have something to hide. Most people won't look at him twice, but if you're acting weird with him, they'll notice."

Mariku grunts and parks the car. Akefia gets out of the passenger seat before Mariku even switches the ignition off. He helps me out of the car, but practically throws me at Mariku when we step up onto the sidewalk. "Here. He's supposed to be your kid, after all."

"You're overthinking this," Mariku says quietly. But he wraps his arm around my waist and lets me lean into him as we walk inside the clinic.

I'm overwhelmed by a million different sights, sounds, and smells as we pass through the double doors. There's people _everywhere_. And they're all talking. Talking, talking, talking. There's so much talking going on, I can't tell what people are talking about. It all blends together and loses itself in a sea of noise.

We take a step, and an intense pain hits my stomach. I groan and double over. Mariku puts both his hands on my sides, presumably to keep me standing.

"Go find a seat. I'll get us a number," Akefia whispers. Mariku guides me over to a padded seat, where he gently helps me sit. I wrap my arms around myself, doubling over as the pain in my gut intensifies. Mariku sits down beside me and rubs my back awkwardly.

"It's okay, we'll get a doctor to look at you and they'll give you some medicine to help you feel better," Mariku whispers. "Then we'll go straight back home and you can be with Bakura again."

Bakura. I wish Bakura was here. He'd be so fascinated by all the people. And he'd actually be able to pay attention to them, unlike me.

Akefia sits down on the other side of me, holding a white slip of paper in his hand. "We're number twenty-five," He gets out. Mariku nods and continues rubbing my back.

More people pour in, and soon some lady begins calling numbers. I focus on my worn boots, the tear in the carpet, anything to get my mind off of my pain.

At some point I force myself to sit back in the chair, mainly because my neck was getting cramped sitting hunched-over. I try to focus on individual people, trying to imagine what their home lives are like. It's just amazing, how many people there are.

The lady across from us is old, with graying black hair and sagging dark skin. A man I can only assume is her husband sits beside her with a purplish lump in his wrist. The woman smiles at us. "Wow, he looks just like you."

I'm confused at first, but then I realize she must be referring to Mariku and me. Akefia clears his throat.

"I'm sorry, but my friend doesn't speak English." His voice is perfectly level. "But yes, the resemblance is uncanny, isn't it?"

Akefia continues to make small talk with this woman and her husband while I stare at the wall, wondering what Bakura is doing right now. I wonder if he went back to bed after I left. I hope he did. Bakura doesn't sleep that much, and when he does sleep he wakes up every hour or so.

Finally they call number twenty-five, and Akefia gets up, motioning us to follow. Mariku helps pull me to my feet.

I feel like everyone is staring at me as I lean against Mariku for support, but when I look back at the waiting room, no one is looking my way.

The nurse is a short blonde lady with a genuine smile. She guides us down a long hallway, whipping out a clipboard and pen.

"Okay, who do we have here today?" She asks in a sugary voice. Mariku averts his eyes, staring straight down the hallway. Akefia is left to speak.

"My neighbor's son, Namu. He was quite sick earlier this morning, and has been complaining about a sore back and painful urinating. It seemed like he had a high fever too."

"What was his temperature?"

Akefia swallows. "I don't know. Neither of us own a thermometer."

The nurse makes a few notes, and we stop in front of a little alcove-like place with a big scale and a shelf. "Alright, Namu, the first thing we're going to do is measure your height. Do you think you can let go of your dad for a minute?"

Akefia clears his throat. "They don't speak English. Neither of them. Just Arabic."

The nurse's mouth makes a perfect O, but she quickly snaps her jaw shut. "Oh, dear, I'm so sorry!"

"No need to apologize." Akefia avoids eye contact. "I speak both languages, so I'm perfectly capable of translating."  
"A-Are you sure? Dr. Farhat will be in at nine, if your friend would be more comfortable will a doctor speaking his native language…"

"No!" Akefia says a little too insistently. "No, my friend is actually very antisocial, he doesn't feel comfortable around strangers."

Mariku uncomfortable with strangers? I guess I could probably imagine that.

"No, we'll be just fine," Akefia goes on. "I can translate for you. Namu understands bits of English too, so he'll be able to take some directions."

I speak English now? Okay, then.

"Alright, then. Namu, stand?" She points to a section of wall with a giant picture of a school ruler pasted on. I let go of Mariku and limp my way over, forcing myself to stretch out against the wall. The nurse examines the number right above my head quickly before pulling away and writing something down. "Almost exactly five foot two. Can you step on this scale, sweetie?" She taps the machine with her pen before returning to Akefia. "How old is he?"

"Thirteen," Akefia says. The nurse shoots him a surprised look.

"Really? I had him pegged for nine or ten."

Akefia coughs. "Namu's always been quite a late bloomer. Plus I think he'll have that baby face forever."

God, I hope not. I can't wait until I grow into my height. I'm at least three inches taller than Bakura, but Bakura's voice is already a lot deeper than mine, and he has to shave like, once a week. Mariku steadies me as I step onto the scale.

The nurse looks at the numbers with a disapproving look. "Ninety pounds. That's quite underweight for his height. That puts him at a BMI of about…" She flips a few sheets up and examines a chart on her clipboard for a minute. "…16.5. A healthy BMI is considered 18.5."

"He hasn't been eating a whole lot for the past week or so." Akefia fidgets nervously. "That could be part of it. Plus I read that the BMI system is pretty flawed."

The nurse begins to lead us down another hallway. "That's true, but he's still pretty underweight."

We end up in a white room with two chairs, a computer, and one of those doctor bed things that are covered in white paper. The nurse points to me and then the table-bed, so Mariku helps me sit on the edge. Akefia sits down in one of the chairs, but Mariku stays firmly planted by my side, one hand gripping my shoulder.

"Sir, you're welcome to sit down," The nurse says slowly, pointing to the chair. Mariku just glares back at her. She sighs. "Alright, then. I'll get Namu's temperature and blood pressure and then we can send in the doctor."

"Sounds good to me," Akefia says as the nurse takes out a box and stick thing, attached to each other with a long, curly wire. She points the sticks thing in my face and I open my mouth, the plastic thermometer sliding past my lips and coming to rest between my teeth. The nurse waits until it begins beeping, then she takes the stick out of my mouth and ejects part of it into a trashcan.

"102.2. Kinda high, but seems normal for someone with his symptoms."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Akefia I suppose is trying to look intimidating. The nurse just works on getting the blood-pressure-squeezer-thing ready. "His symptoms are really pointing to an infection. That usually results in a high fever as the body works against the spread of the infection." It's like she's reciting from one of the medical textbooks I've stolen from Akefia.

The nurse takes my blood pressure and says some more words, but I've tuned them out. I don't want to be listening to this woman anymore. I want to go home. I want Bakura.

The nurse says she'll send the doctor in and disappears out the doorway. Mariku and Akefia explode into a fight as soon as the door is safely shut.

"Akefia, this is a fucking stupid plan, I'll-"

"And what, you had a better idea? What was that, allow him to sit there and die from his infection?"

"I swear, one of these days I'm going to get my hands on that scrawny neck of yours…"

I check out. I really don't care. I just really want to go back home and take a nap now. I don't even care that I'm in pain. I want to go home.

Mariku and Akefia shut up as soon as a smiley woman with dark brown hair steps through the door. She introduces herself as Dr. Wheeler and shakes Akefia's hand. She looks kind of familiar. I lean against Mariku, feeling hot.

Akefia explains to her that I don't speak English, but he's here to translate. She smiles and sits down in the rolling chair by the computer and begins to ask Akefia questions. They're more in depth than what the nurse asked, so Akefia isn't quite sure how to answer all of them. A few times he turns to Mariku and spouts random syllables that don't resemble Arabic at all, but Mariku just throws back more gibberish and Akefia 'translates.' Dr. Wheeler just nods and writes it all down in her notepad.

Then it hits me. Joey Wheeler, my friend back in the fifth grade. This is his mom. I think I've only met her once, but…this is definitely her.

Why is she working here? This clinic must be hours away from her house and everything. Why, why does she have to be the doctor to get me?!

Suddenly I'm hit in the gut and I double over, groaning. Mrs. Wheeler puts down her notepad.

"Well, I'm pretty sure I know what this is, but he's going to have to submit a urine test so we can be sure."

Akefia raises his eyebrow. "You're absolutely positive this is necessary?"

Mrs. Wheeler folds her arms and stares at him. "Yes. I don't want to accidentally give him the wrong medication, or fail to treat something if it's serious. We have to know for sure."

"Fine, fine." Akefia gets to his feet and says some nonsense to Mariku, who helps me down off the bench.

Dr. Wheeler fills up a paper cup with water and hands it to me. She makes a drinking motion with her hands. "Right, so I'll give you a cup and show you the bathroom. When he's done, just make sure he seals it off and puts the cup in the window right behind the toilet. Alright?"

Akefia goes to the door. "Yeah, we get it. We'll be back."

Dr. Wheeler scowls at us and turns back to her computer.

Both Mariku and Akefia are silent as we make our way down the hall, following the signs to the bathroom. I drink the entire cup of water, tossing the paper cup in a trash can on the way. We stop outside a door with a men's bathroom nameplate on it, and Akefia folds his arms.

"I'm staying out here. If you want to be a perv and watch him, you be my guest."

Mariku grunts and ushers me inside.

The bathroom is pink. Tile floor is pink, wallpaper is pink. The toilet, for some reason, is green. My initial thought was that we've accidentally stumbled into the women's bathroom, but there is a urinal, equally as green as the toilet, stuck to the wall across from the sink. I think for a second about how weird this is, and Mariku closes the door behind him. He shoves the plastic cup with a sticker printed with my (fake) name and a bunch of numbers slapped on the side into my hand. He points to the toilet.

"Well? Go do your business so we can go home."

I bite my lip and nod. Mariku stares at me as I back away and drop my pants. He continues to watch me, arms folded and an impassive expression on his face while I do my deed.

When I'm done, I do as Dr. Wheeler instructed and replace the cap on the cup, setting it down in the window thing.

Akefia is still waiting for us outside the bathroom. We make our way back to the room in silence.

I take my place back on the bed-table, and Mariku and Akefia assume their previous positions. We wait. And wait.

Mariku and Akefia don't say anything to each other. Nothing. They don't even fight. And neither of them try to talk to me. They just glare at each other, silently. I look at my shoes, wishing Dr. Wheeler would come back in and at least break the silence. I wait, but she doesn't come.

Suddenly, I'm hit by a terrifying thought. What if Mrs. Wheeler recognized me? I may have only met her once, maybe twice, but she must have seen my face a million times on the news. I know that it's been awhile, and my nose is slightly crooked and bent, but I'm still Marik.

What if she's calling the police right now? What if they come and take me away? I'll never see Bakura again. Never.

A tiny squeaking noise emits from the back of my throat, and Mariku snaps to attention.

"Hey, buddy, what's wrong?" He slides his arms around me, rocking me back and forth. I shake, too petrified to answer him. "It's gonna be okay, they're going to help you. It's not going to hurt anymore, I promise."

Just then, the door swings open, and Dr. Wheeler walks through, carrying a bunch of papers. She closes the door and sits down in the spinning chair before paging through her papers, not even looking at us. "Urinary tract infection," She says without looking up. "Pretty bad one, it was probably starting to spread to his kidneys. Hence the back pain. But it's nothing some antibiotics won't fix." She presses a few buttons on her computer. "I'll just need the name of the pharmacy you use and I'll send in the prescription. I'm assuming you don't have medical insurance."

"No," Akefia says firmly. "And we don't have a lot of cash between the two of us. How much is this going to cost?"

"Mm, they're just antibiotics, so they'll probably only be around thirty dollars. And since they're just antibiotics, I just need a last name to enter in. This stuff's not regulated very much. Now, if I could just get your information…"

Akefia gives her a last name, one I'm pretty sure he just made up. They talk pharmacies for a minute before we get up, Mariku helping me put on my coat. Dr. Wheeler smiles at us once before she turns back to her computer, typing away.

And then we're out. Soon we step out of the clinic, into the early morning sunshine. Mariku and Akefia are completely silent until we're back in the car, me strapped into the backseat.

"Well, I think it went well," Akefia says smugly. Mariku grunts. "Oh, come on. No one was suspicious at all."

"That was nerve-wracking." Mariku backs out of the parking spot. "I hated it. I hate other people. Especially nosy people like that nurse."

"Oh, she was just doing her job. She'll have forgotten all about us by lunchtime." Akefia waves his hand lazily. "Now all we have to do is go pick up his prescription. We could grab some lunch on the way back too, hopefully Bakura hasn't burned the house down trying to cook for himself…"

Bakura's been home alone, all by himself. All morning. I have to talk to him, soon. I need to ask him about all the stuff that Mariku and Akefia mentioned earlier. I have to know.

I wish Bakura didn't shut me out so much. I know so little about him, even after being with him almost constantly for a year in a half. Whenever I ask, Bakura just seems ready to bite my face off. I don't know why he's so defensive about himself. I mean, I'm not going to judge him. I love him no matter what. He knows that.

No one talks for the longest time. I look out the window, but all the people have begun to scare me. There's too many of them. I just want to be home, being closed doors. With Bakura. Familiar.

Akefia stares straight ahead at the road, arms folded. Mariku is the first to break the silence. "I want them to be happy."

Akefia sits up straighter. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Earlier, I said I didn't care if they wanted to leave. That's true. I don't." He turns left, never once looking at Akefia. "They're going to want to leave no matter what. I can't control that. But I do want them to be happy with me. It's two completely different things."

Akefia huffs, blowing a piece of hair out of his face. Mariku just smiles.

* * *

**January 20, 2006**

**Midday**

Bakura's reading. Like he always does. We sit on opposite sides of the couch, our legs entwined. My science textbook is open on my lap, but I watch TV instead.

Mariku has decided that he is going to make cupcakes, for some reason. He's home nearly all the time now. Sometimes after a snowstorm he gets up super early in the morning to plow snow, which is apparently his official job during the winter when there's no landscaping jobs being done. But that's usually it.

I once asked Bakura where Mariku gets all his money, and he told me that Mariku sells stuff. He said he only saw it happen once, when he was nine, but some guy called Mariku at like, two in the morning and Mariku had to get out of bed. Bakura was apparently spending the night with Mariku, and pretended to be asleep as Mariku unlocked the 'off-limits' cabinet in his room (which Mariku has warned us never to mess with) and pulled out a plastic bag, brought it outside, and came back with some money.

He must make some decent money, because I hardly ever see him work, but he sometimes buys us expensive presents. Like, he bought me and Bakura a new TV for Christmas. He said the one out in the shed was 'outdated' and we needed a new one. It sits in our room on top of our dresser, beside a DVD player Mariku got at a garage sale for ten bucks.

"What kind of frosting do you boys think I should put on?" Mariku calls from the kitchen. "Chocolate or vanilla? We have both, for some reason."

Mariku has also been really, really happy lately. It's weird.

He started being so happy when we got home from the doctor's last week. I've spent most of my time resting on the couch or in bed, and he hasn't tried to have sex with me since then. But that doesn't seem to dampen his mood at all. If anything, he seems happy to be taking care of me. He makes big meals for me and Bakura whenever he has time, and he always tries to snuggle with us on the couch. I've honestly never seen Mariku like this, but I'm not complaining. He's not hurting us anymore, and Bakura is even gaining a bit of weight.

A furious knocking comes from the front door, and Mariku sets down the pan of already baked cupcakes and glances out the window. It must be Akefia, because he goes to answer it.

Sure enough, Akefia comes barreling through the door, not even glancing at Mariku before he turns and chucks a giant green thing at Bakura. "We're leaving. Go pack some shit."

"What?!" Mariku slams the door shut. Akefia whirls around to face him, remaining calm even as Mariku storms up to him. "What the fuck did you just say?"

Akefia stares back with a defiant expression. "I have to go out of town for a while. I don't feel comfortable leaving my nephew here with you during that time, so I'm taking him with me."

"And just where exactly are you planning on taking him?!"

Akefia folds his arms. "Detroit."

"Michigan?!" Mariku pauses, massaging his temples. Neither Bakura nor I have moved an inch. Akefia still looks completely unfazed by Mariku's reaction.

"Yes. Detroit, Michigan. I don't know how long I'll be there, but it won't be too terribly long. And I'll bring him back."

"Like hell you will!"

I don't see Mariku grab the knife. I don't even remember it being out, but it must have if he grabbed it so fast. But suddenly Mariku is clutching a steak knife and is holding Akefia by his throat, the blade pressed up against his ribs. Mariku leans in close to his ear. "Say it one more time. I _dare _you."

Akefia's voice wavers. But only slightly. "You can't kill me."

"And why the fuck not? You've been nothing but a thorn in my side since this whole thing began. Getting rid of you would solve a _lot _of my problems. Who's going to stop me? Them?" He gestures to me and Bakura, still frozen in our seats. Bakura still grips the green duffel bag. "The police? No one is going to save you, Akefia."

Akefia swallows hard, but speaks loud and clear. Like he isn't sweating bullets right now. "You can't kill me," He repeats. "-and get away with it. I wrote a note. I wrote down everything you've done, everything I've done."

Mariku's eyes go wide, and his grip on Akefia's throat visibly loosens. Akefia swallows once more. "I gave the note to a trusted friend of mine. My friend has instructions to read the note if and only if something happens to me. If you kill me, you will be exposed."

Silence. Utter silence.

Mariku finally releases Akefia, taking the knife away. He looks down at the ground with wide eyes. Akefia rushes to finish. "But that doesn't need to happen, Mariku. Let me take Bakura with me, and you get to keep your secret. Deal?"

Akefia even sticks out his hand. Mariku just glares at it with disgust before looking at Akefia out of the corner of his eye. "You'll bring him back?"

Akefia nods, dropping his hand to his side. "Yes. I give you my word."

Mariku looks at the ground for a long minute before his head snaps back up, looking at us now. "Well, what are you waiting for, Bakura? Go pack!"

Bakura is still for another minute before he realizes that Mariku is talking to him and hesitantly getting to his feet. I get up as well. Mariku and Akefia continue to glare at each other as I follow Bakura upstairs.

As soon as we're in our room and the door shuts behind us, I throw my arms around Bakura. He tries to weakly push me off, but I just hold him tighter and bury my face in his shoulder. "Don't go."

Bakura pushes again, not so gently this time. "I have to. I really don't have a choice in the matter."

I pull away, already feeling tears in my eye. "It's not fair. They shouldn't fight over you like this. Don't they care about how you feel?"

"Apparently not," Bakura grumbles as he sets the duffel on his bed, crossing the room to the dresser and filling his arms with clothes.

I move to help. Bakura doesn't have a lot of clothes, and the duffel bag is big enough to fit nearly everything he owns. When he's over at the bookshelf, pondering the different titles and trying to select his favorites to bring with him, I sneak in my favorite light purple sweatshirt. Then I go over to the bookshelf next to him and grab his sketchpad and charcoal pencils. Bakura scowls at me as I put it in with his clothes. "I don't need that."

"You might." I shrug.

Bakura crosses his arms. "I don't like drawing anymore, Marik. Why can't you just accept that?"

"Because I know you. You're always so stressed out about everything, except when you're doing something with your hands. Even when you're upset about something, you always seem to feel better after you've drawn."

"Wanker…" Bakura mutters, dumping a pile of books into the bag. It's nearly full now. I open the door.

"I can grab your toothbrush. Do you need anything else from the bathroom?"

Bakura waves his hand at me, not even bothering to turn around. "Nah, my uncle should have everything else I need."

I run in and grab his toothbrush off the sink. I toss it to Bakura and he throws it in, zipping up the now bulging duffel bag. He hoists it over his shoulder, turning to face me. "Well, I guess we should say goodbye up here…"

I nod, and he embraces me. Not the regular cold Bakura hug, but a real, firm hug. I grip onto him. "I'll miss you…"

Bakura nods, pulling away. "I'll miss you too."

We stand there, our hands entwined as we stare at each other for the longest time. Finally Akefia yells up the stairs, asking what's taking so long. Bakura moves, towards the door. "I guess I have to go now."

I lean over and plant a kiss on his forehead. "I love you. Even if you act like a grumpy old man."

Bakura smiles. But only for a moment. Then Akefia yells Bakura's name and Bakura turns away, out of our room and down the stairs.

I go out and listen as Mariku says goodbye to Bakura, listen to him and Akefia exchanging a few heated words. Then I sit down on the steps as listen as Akefia opens the door, taking Bakura out of the house and letting the door slam behind them.

* * *

**I've never actually been to a free clinic, so I just imagined it like my own clinic with a more chill staff. Probably extremely inaccurate, but I think we'll live.**

**Other notes? Well, we actually have a plot! Yay! Been a while since we've seen one of those!**

**Alright, now on a more serious note, I have a concern. I have gotten not one, but two lovely comments saying that I am an actually child kidnapper and rapist. Alright guys, that's really...not cool. Seriously. Look, I'm really not the type to get upset over every person who doesn't bow down and worship my writing. (That's actually one of my biggest pet peeves, when 'authors' pull that crap.) But that's...I don't even have words for that. I am truly offended by this. And I shouldn't even have to say this, but for the record, I don't kidnap little boys and sexually abuse them for my pleasure. The thought actually kind of repulses me, seeing how I'm into women and boobs and all that fun stuff. (Boobs are very fun.)**

**And seriously, don't yell at me because my story made you feel upset/unhappy. I put the trigger warnings RIGHT THERE IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THE STORY. Obviously, if I put something in this story that genuinely upset you and I failed to put in a trigger warning, PM me and I will A) apologize my ass off, B) fix it, C) feel really terrible about it, and then D) apologize some more. But if you are triggered by rape and child abuse, I'm sorry, but don't read this. I don't think I should have to censor my story just because a few people decided to ignore trigger warnings. **

**I am really disappointed that it had to come to this. Have some maturity, people. A lot of you are in your late teens/early adulthood. Act like it.**

**Okay, rant over. I am going to bullshit an assignment and then I am GOING TO BED. Goodnight.**

**-ChiPet**


	18. Phone Call

**I own an abused 3-ring binder that I swear is going to fail me before the end of school. I don't own Yugioh.**

* * *

**Saturday, February 11, 2006**

**Midday**

"Well? Tell me where you want it."

I grit my teeth and the flogger comes back down on the sensitive skin between my legs. I gasp and squeeze my eyes shut, wishing this was over. Mariku whips me again, and I cry out.

"On your dick or on your feet? Where do you want it?"

"Feet…" I say, my eyes still closed. Mariku brings the flogger down yet again. I cry in frustration.

"What's that? You're going to have to speak up. I can't do anything unless you tell me."

"Feet!" I yell. Mariku hits me one last time between my legs before it stops, his footsteps leading away from the bed. I crack my eyes open as he returns, holding a long, thin stick in his hand.

Mariku brings the stick down in the balls of my feet, and I bite my lip. It hurts, but not as much as before. I pull on the ropes wrapped around my ankles, connected to the headboard behind me, but they don't give any slack. I'm stuck lying face-up on the bed, with my legs spread open and my hands tied behind my back.

Finally, Mariku decides that he's hit me enough and puts the stick down. He immediately picks up the pink bottle of lube and empties some onto his hand. He hastily spreads it onto his penis as he kneels down on the edge of the bed, lining up with my hole and thrusting in.

I gasp. Mariku keeps thrusting, hard and fast right away. It hurts, a lot. I close my eyes and try to imagine I'm somewhere else.

Mariku brings his hands up to cover my mouth and pinch my nose shut. I jerk my head around, trying to get him to lose his grip. I can't breathe. Can't breathe…

And then he takes his hands away. Air flows back into my lungs. Mariku quickens his thrusts, rubbing my own uncomfortably hard penis. We end up cumming at the same time. Mariku first pulls out, then lowers his face. He sucks on the tip of my penis, sucking away all the gross cum I've made. When he's done, he pulls himself up to my level and kisses me.

"You taste good," he whispers as he pulls away. He quickly unwinds the knots keeping me in my uncomfortable position and turns away to grab his clothes. I get up right as he tosses my own clothing at me. "Get dressed. I ordered our lunch, should be here any minute."

He turns and leaves the room while I sit and pull my T-shirt and sweatshirt over my head. I have to stand up to get my underwear and jeans on, and I wince as my tender feet make contact with the floor. I quickly finish getting dressed before sitting back on the bed, lifting my foot up to check. Thin red lines criss-cross across the underside of my foot. I sigh and trudge to the bathroom.

I run a washcloth under the faucet and dab on some soap, trying to make as little noise as possible. Mariku would probably tell me to man up if he saw me try to clean my cuts. He would say that there was no harm done and I'd be healed up in no time. But I don't want to just wait for it to heal. They hurt, plus I don't want open cuts on me, especially on my feet. I guess Akefia has rubbed off on me a little bit. I don't want to get any infections. Especially now that Akefia's not here to help me.

I scrub the undersides of my feet with the washcloth, hopefully getting rid of the dirt and germs. When my feet feel clean I wrap some gauze around them and stand up. I catch my reflection in the mirror as I'm putting the stuff away. I guess I started crying during the sex, because my eyes are red.

Mariku will be pissed if he sees that too. I splash some water onto my face and stare at my reflection, waiting for the red to go down. My eyes are narrowing a bit. They don't seem as wide anymore. I guess that means I'm growing up? I don't know. I've wanted to grow out of my baby face for so long, especially when Bakura could probably pass for sixteen if he weren't so short. But now I just wish my face would stay the same. I like my face.

My nose is also obviously crooked. I'm sure it wouldn't be as obvious to some other people, but it is to me. It's noticeably pointier as well, which I suppose is probably more due to Akefia setting it than Mariku breaking it.

And my collar is still on. I finger it, but my fingers don't slip between the metal and my neck as easily as before. I'm getting too big for it. I wonder what will happen when I outgrow the collar? Will I suffocate? How would that even happen, if I'm growing at such a slow rate? Maybe my neck will just stop growing outward. Yeah, that's probably what will happen. I'm going to have a weird looking neck, then.

I feel like the redness in my eyes has gone down enough, so I start to go downstairs. I'm on the steps when the sound of the doorbell rings through the house, and I freeze in place. Mariku opens the door, chats with the delivery boy for a minute, then the door is closed and I'm allowed to go downstairs again.

Mariku is setting the pizza down on the table when he sees me walking down the stairs. He smiles. "There you are. You're so well-behaved, Marik. I didn't even have to tell you to hide."

I manage a smile while Mariku turns to the fridge, digging out a can of Coke for him and a can of Diet Coke for me. I'm still on a diet, apparently. A really weird diet. Akefia once taught me and Bakura some stuff about nutrition so we could stay healthy, and he talked to us about healthy foods. Mariku doesn't have me eat healthy foods. He lets me eat junk food, but my portions are strictly controlled. When he feels like controlling them. Staring at the giant pizza Mariku has ordered, half meat and half cheese, I don't think that this will be one of those meals. We sit at the table and dig into the pizza, not even bothering to use plates.

Mariku stares at me throughout the entire meal, and I do my best to ignore him. I keep expecting him to comment on how much food I'm eating, my weight, or my diet. But he doesn't say anything. Just looks at me with a smile on his face. I take the opportunity and try to eat as many pieces of pizza as possible.

Finally we're both done with our lunch and we're just sitting there, sipping our sodas. Mariku leans forward, propping his elbow on the table and resting his chin in his hand. "So Valentine's Day is only a few days away."

I knew that. I was hoping he would forget. Last year he spent the entire holiday in the shed with me and Bakura. There wasn't much sex, but it was uncomfortable. We were both on edge the entire day, plus all we did was watch movies. Not even movies we wanted to watch, but weird movies about people having sex. Mariku said it was called porn and we should be into it at our age, but all it did was scare me. The candy we got wasn't even worth it. I would rather he just not pay attention to the holiday so I could watch TV or read without him trying to touch me.

Mariku reaches across the table and touches my fingers. "Is there anything in particular you want?"

'Bakura back,' I think. I cough.

"No. Not really."

Mariku frowns. "There must be something you want. A video game? A book? There's some book that all the kids are raving about right now. Some vampire thing, what was it called again? Nighttime or something?"

"That sounds fine," I blurt. "I'd love that. Thank you."

Mariku smiles at me. "Of course." He reached across the table and ruffles my hair. "And I have another little surprise lined up for you. I think you'll like it."

I force a smile onto my face. "I can't wait."

"Good." Mariku stands up suddenly, walking towards the couch and gesturing me to follow. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted," he says with a yawn. I believe him. He was out for most of the night and didn't even come to bed until four in the morning, then he woke me up a few hours later to cuddle on the couch. "Come on, let's take a nap together. It can just be a lazy day today. Besides, I can't remember the last time I just laid down with you or-"

He pauses, a weird look flashing across his face. He coughs. "Come over here, Marik."

My stomach clenches. I get to my feet and follow Mariku to the couch, where he lies down on his back. He reaches out and grabs hold of my before pulling me on top of him. I rest my head against his chest as he spreads a blanket out over us. Soon he's asleep, snoring gently with both his arms tightly wrapped around my waist. I sigh.

I haven't heard from Bakura since Akefia took him.

Mariku hasn't had any contact with Akefia either. I know this because Mariku has tried Akefia's cell phone number several times and curses whenever he gets his voicemail. Which is every time. He says if he doesn't get a hold of Akefia soon he's going to 'track him down and rip his small intestine out.' I just nod and hope his mood passes soon.

I'm actually really worried about Bakura. I know Akefia is his uncle and would do anything to protect him, but I still worry. Akefia said he took Bakura to Detroit, which Mariku told me is a super dangerous city. Where are they staying while they're in Detroit? I hope, for Bakura's sake, it's somewhere safe. Plus Detroit is like, a gazillion miles from here. Mariku did some math and said it would take them at least ten hours to get there, and that's without stopping. I'm worried that they got into a car accident. But if they got into an accident, we would have heard about it on the news. Because someone would have figured out who Bakura was, if he had to go to the hospital. I have to believe that.

Mariku has seemed really frustrated with Bakura gone. Stuff like what happened earlier has been happening pretty frequently lately, I have fading bruises and healing scrapes and scratches all over my body. I'm glad that it's not happening to Bakura, but still. I'd rather it just never happened at all.

I'm also just…bored. I have nothing to do most of them time. I try to teach myself, but it's hard when Bakura's not here and we can't figure things out together. Even math, something that's usually pretty easy, stumps me. I don't bother asking Mariku for help. He'd probably just yell at me and to be honest, I don't think he'd actually know how to do it.

For the most part, I'm left alone to watch TV. Mariku is gone a lot, he got a membership at some gym and has been going there practically every day. He doesn't bother with locking me inside my room, so I can wander around the house. He keeps the back door locked, so I can't go into the backyard or anything. I don't bother with checking the front door. Mariku isn't stupid enough to leave that unlocked. I suppose, if I really wanted to escape, I could just break a window. Sometimes I just sit and think about how easy it would be. I could use one or Mariku's chairs, or anything heavy, really. I could smash the window above Mariku's couch and climb through, then all I would have to do is run. I could go to one of the neighbors and ask to use their phone. Call the police and spill the entire story. I could go back to my brother and sister. Mariku would be arrested. Someone would track down Akefia and get Bakura back. I could totally do it.

I don't, though.

I just sit around. Bored all day. I try reading, but our books get boring after I've read them so much. I feel so lazy watching TV, but I really don't have anything else to do. I've started using Bakura's fancy knitting needles he's had for like, a year and a half. I try knitting while I watch TV, just so I don't feel completely useless. I'm making a blanket type thing. It looks really bad, but I hope Bakura will like it when he comes back. Hopefully I can make it big enough to keep him warm.

But then there are days like today, where I exist for Mariku. I eat, sleep, and have sex according to his whims. Part of me hates it. Part of me wants to yell and scream and stomp my feet because it isn't _fair _that I can't even go to the bathroom or eat a sandwich without Mariku giving me permission. I'm thirteen, I'm capable of making some decisions by myself.

The other part of me, though, is a little happy when these days come around. Mariku showers me with attention. He rarely tells me to fuck off and entertain myself while he does his own business, like he sometimes did with me and Bakura. When he's home, he focuses on me. And even though I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it and angry at myself for thinking it, I like feeling like I have a purpose here.

* * *

**Tuesday, February 14, 2006**

**Evening**

I look really nice tonight. My hair is neatly combed and doesn't hang in my face. I'm wearing a nice pair of jeans and a long-sleeved blue shirt of Bakura's that he forgot to take with him. Under my clothes, I'm wearing a pair of 'sexy' underwear that Mariku bought for me, though I try not to think about that too much. I'm almost positive he just bought a pair of girl's panties and gave them to me, and I don't like the thought of wearing women's underwear, must less wearing women's underwear to look sexy for Mariku.

I don't wear any shoes or socks. Mariku's order. He says my feet are cute. I think it's creepy.

Mariku has decided that he is going to cook us a nice dinner for Valentine's Day. So I've been staying upstairs for most of the afternoon as he prepares everything downstairs. So far I've only heard him curse fourteen times. I'm hoping he'll give up on the whole cooking idea and order out, but he seems intent on making the meal himself.

One more curse. That's fifteen now. I check my reflection in the mirror again, just to assure myself that I look presentable. I hear Mariku's voice again not a minute later.

"Marik! Come downstairs, it's time for dinner!"

I sigh and drag myself downstairs. It seems darker than normal, which confuses me until I see that Mariku has placed a single lit candle down on the table. It's dark and Mariku can't see, so I roll my eyes.

"Well, get over here," Mariku says, his back turned. "I think you'll like this a lot."

I'd like it more if we could just order pizza and watch TV.

Mariku sets two plates down at the table before turning back to the fridge. I sit down, staring at my plates. Chicken something, a dinner roll, and some mashed potato thing. A decent dinner. I miss my sister's cooking, though.

A clear wine glass is set in front of me, and I snap my head up as Mariku pours a dark red liquid from a tinted bottle. He stops to dump some powder into the drink, giving me a quick smile. "You've never had wine before, so it'll be really sour for you. I just added a bit of sugar."

"Mariku, I'm not old enough to drink."

"That doesn't matter." Mariku fills his own glass and sets the bottle down on the table before sitting down himself.

I shift in my seat. "But I'm not old enough. What if-"

"You're going to drink it." Mariku stares at me from across the table. "All of it."

I gulp. Mariku glares at me for a few more seconds before his eyes soften a bit. "I guess…just drink this glass. If you really don't like it, I'll get you some water. But you have to finish this glass. Deal?"

"Deal," I say quietly before lifting the glass. The wine sparkles a bit through the candlelight, and the color reminds me of my mom's wedding ring. It was a really pretty ring with a big garnet. Father pawned it for drinking money when I was eight, but Rishid bought it back and gave it to Ishizu.

I take a sip of the wine. It tastes sort of like grape juice, but sour. It's not good, but it's not terrible.

Mariku talks to me throughout the entire meal. I just nod politely and only speak in two or three word sentences here and there. The food is pretty good, I even take a second helping of potatoes. I ask for water when I'm done with the wine, not because I don't like the taste but because my head is getting super foggy and I don't like it.

We even get to have dessert. Mariku made French Silk pie, and I eat two slices of it. He just smiles and lets me eat as much as I want. I take advantage of the fact that Mariku doesn't feel the need to limit my food intake.

Mariku clears away the plates after we're done, throwing them in the sink. I stay seated because my brain feels foggy and I'm kind of worried about standing. Mariku comes back over to the table and places a heart-shaped box and a thick black book with an apple on the cover in front of me. I blankly stare at my presents as Mariku leans over and kisses my temple. "Happy Valentine's Day, my hikari."

I try to open my mouth to say something, but I can't find the words. My head feels extremely heavy. Mariku smirks and brushes his lips against my ear. "I bet you're tired. That's okay. We have things to do in the bedroom anyway…"

Mariku picks me up and cradles me in his arms as he leans over and blows out the candle. I'm vaguely aware of us moving across the room and up the stairs, but everything seems so distant that I'm really not sure.

Suddenly Mariku sets me down on what feels like his bed and clicks the bedside lamp on. I'm concerned about how dark the room still looks. The lamp doesn't give off a ton of light, but it's like it's barely there.

Mariku settles down next to me on the bed, grinning. I stare dumbly as he reaches out to play with my hair.

I stutter as I try to find words. "M-Mariku, what is…what's going…"

"Shh…" Mariku pets my hair soothingly. "Just a few more minutes, I promise. It'll all be over soon."

I wish.

"What did you…" I have to stop to breathe. "…what did…you do to…to me?"

"Just relax, my hikari," Mariku says as he continues to stroke my hair. "Just relax and let yourself sleep. You've been such a good, good boy…" His hands sneak down to my waist and he pulls me close. "Trust me, you'll be rewarded. But you have to sleep first."

"I don't…" I gasp as tears fill my eyes, blurring my already darkened vision.

"Shh…go to sleep."

I don't want this. I don't want to go to sleep, not now. I don't want Mariku to want me to go to sleep. It's Valentine's Day, he should be spending it with me. Not my body.

I just want to go back to my room and have Bakura there so we can snuggle together and talk all night. That's all I want. It's not a lot. I just don't want this.

Everything's dark now. I can barely make out Mariku above me as he moves.

I don't want this. I want to wake up.

I don't want to fall asleep.

"I love you, Marik," Mariku whispers in my ear.

And I'm gone.

* * *

**Saturday, February 25, 2006**

**Midday**

My collar's gone.

I woke up after that strange night after Valentine's Day, and my collar was gone. So were my clothes, replaced by a variety of bruises covering my body. Mariku didn't offer any explanation.

My neck is super sensitive now. Just touching it stings. Mariku likes to kiss and suck on the skin there, and it hurts so much it usually leaves me in tears. My neck has been covered in dark, blotchy bruises for nearly two weeks now. I think it's getting a little better, though.

Mariku has actually been trying to give me 'a bit of a leash,' as he says. He allows me to make my own food sometimes when he's home, and has even let me outside a few times. I get pretty bored without Bakura with me, but outside is outside.

He also got a library card so he can check out books for me, which is super nice. He doesn't look happy about it when he comes home though, I think being in a library is intimidating for Mariku.

The books aren't really what I would have picked out, but that's okay. I'm just happy I have something to read. That book Mariku gave me was really terrible, like, worse than anything I've read since I got here. But it was nearly five hundred pages, so I read it all.

I spend most of my time reading now. Most days I get up, eat, shower, and then read until Mariku gets home. Then I usually get to go outside for a bit, then I come back in and read more. In the evenings I usually watch TV with Mariku, so that's when I work on the giant blanket thing I'm making for Bakura.

And then I go to bed with Mariku. Every night. I miss the room I share with Bakura. I only go in there now to change or to grab a book or my GameBoy. It feels empty without Bakura. I don't like being in there without him.

The phone rings. I'm sitting on the couch, playing the Pokemon Silver game I got for my birthday. I didn't start playing it until Bakura had left because we had also gotten Pokemon LeafGreen for Christmas and we were trying to play through that. I started with a Cyndaquil and named it Bakura. It turned out to be a girl Cyndaquil, but I figured Bakura would appreciate the irony.

Mariku has to run upstairs because he removed the mouthpiece to the phone downstairs and the only fully functional phone is in his room. I ignore him and try to focus on murdering Whitney's stupid Miltank.

I've practically forgotten about the phone call until Mariku comes thundering down the stairs, phone pressed to his ear. "You could have called me once you got there," Mariku hisses. "Instead of just ignoring my calls for the past couple weeks."

Mariku pauses to listen to the person on the only end. Whitney's Miltank is in the red. I hit the stupid cow with another Ember and it's a critical hit. I win. Mariku throws his free hand up in the air. "You're completely missing the point, Akefia! I have every right to-"

I freeze. Mariku is talking to Akefia. Akefia finally decided to call Mariku after over a month of being silent.

Does this mean Akefia and Bakura are coming home soon?

"No, no. I understand, you bitch." Mariku sighs and runs his hand through his hair. "You're bringing him back soon, I imagine."

More Akefia talking. I save my game quickly and turn off the GameBoy. Mariku turns away from me, gesturing to the stove. "No. I won't stand for it. I want Bakura back home where he belongs, and I don't give two fucks if you still have things to do out there."

He sits down at the table, looking tired. "I'm going to kill you when you get back, you know that?" He says, but his voice seems lifeless. "I really am. I hate you so much."

More talking. Mariku sighs again, glancing at me. "Oh, he's fine. Totally healthy now. Reads too much for my taste, but I've been leaving him alone. I can't imagine what Bakura's been doing for fun, cooped up in your dingy little hotel room."

I listen as Akefia loudly berates Mariku over the phone. Seriously, I can hear him from across the room.

"Just put Bakura on," Mariku hisses through gritted teeth. He listens for a moment. "Dammit, we're done discussing this. I told you to put Bakura on the phone. I want to talk to him. Put him on!"

He slams his fist down on the table to punctuate his last words. I hug a pillow and watch. Mariku's angry face soon relaxes, and a small smile even appears on his face. "Hey, baby. How are you doing?"

Bakura's on the other end of that phone. Bakura, my best friend. I haven't seen him in over a month. It feels longer.

I want to walk over and ask Mariku if I could talk to Bakura once he was done, but something in my gut tells me that that would be a bad idea.

Mariku doesn't do a whole lot of talking; he seems more interested in hearing Bakura talk. He asks Bakura all sorts of questions and prompts him every few seconds or so to say more. I cross my ankles, feeling impatient. Mariku catches sight of me.

"Bakura," He says into the phone. "Do you want to talk to Marik for a little bit?"

Yes yes yes yes yes!

Mariku gets up and crosses the room, handing me the phone. I give him what I hope looks like a thankful smile and take the phone from him. My heart threatens to pound its way out of my chest as I press the phone to my ear.

"Hey Bakura."

"_Hey Marik."_

His voice seems distorted, and there's a ton of static coming through. But I'm talking to Bakura, and that's all that matters.

I lay back on the couch, kicking my feet up. "How are you?"

"_Fine. What about you? Are you still sick from last time?"_

I laugh and shake my head, even though he can't see me. "No, I'm totally fine now."

"_I'm glad."_

"You seem sad." I point out. Mariku's eyes shift to me suspiciously. Oops. I probably shouldn't have mentioned it.

"_I don't like phones. I hate talking into them."_

"Oh. Um, sorry."

"_No, it's okay. I want to talk to you."_

I guess Bakura just likes talking face to face. I can see that.

Mariku turns back and starts digging around the cabinet for something. I play with a ripping nail on my right hand. "So what have you guys been doing in Detroit?"

"_Nothing. It's really boring here. All I do is watch bad daytime television. And I've looked at some of my Uncle's PlayBoy magazines." _He whispers the last line, and I swear I hear a hint of a laugh in there. _"Oh, and I drew you some more pictures. Since I know how obsessed you are with them."_

I smile to myself. "Oh, just admit that you like doing it."

"_I don't. I'm just doing it because I'm bored." _Bakura tries his best to sound disinterested. _"So has anything interesting happened at Mariku's?"_

I bite my lip. Should I tell him about blacking out on Valentine's Day? Would he know what happened to me? Do I want him to know?

"I got my collar off," I get out. Then I feel stupid. Bakura will only feel bad hearing that.

Strangely, Bakura begins to laugh a bit. _"My Uncle got mine off, too."_

I raise my eyebrows, glancing at Mariku quick before I lean forward. "Really? How?"

"_Um, don't freak out, okay?"_

"I won't. I promise."

"_He bought a solder iron, one of those little sticks that's used to weld metal together. He used that to cut two lines in it to get it off me."_

I don't like the thought of Akefia melting metal on Bakura's neck. "Didn't it hurt?"

"_Just a little. He was pretty good about keeping it off me."_

"When did this happen?"

Bakura is silent for a minute. _"Right before we changed hotels."_

I sit up. "Why did you have to-"

"_Marik, my Uncle is telling me to get off the phone," _He says. _"I'm sorry, but I have to go."_

I sigh. "Okay. Do you know when you're coming home?"

"_I don't. I'm sorry."_

There's a long pause as I struggle to digest all this new information. Bakura speaks up again, hurried this time.

"_I love you, Marik."_

"I lo-"

_Click._

I sit there, listening to the dial tone for a few seconds before Mariku walks over and takes the phone from my hand.

"They'll be back really soon," He says as he pulls me to my feet. I stare at the phone in his hand. Mariku clears his throat. "Well, no use dwelling on it. Let's make some brownies together. I'll even let you lick the bowl."

Mariku pulls me into the kitchen and sets the phone down on the counter. I stare for a minute before moving to help him.

* * *

**So I don't even know what's up with this chapter. I had epic plans, and then it just sucked. I also didn't have a lot of time for it, between detention and senior crap and stupid school retreats. I just want to be DONE! I have sixteen days of school left, but it feels like so much more. Probably because it's still snowing here. (Okay, it didn't snow today. But it snowed yesterday. Yes, the first of May. It snowed in Minnesota. If you have anything less than an unshakable and unyielding love for winter and snow and cold and broken car defrosters, never live here.) But yeah. Can I be done with high school now?**

**Back to this chapter. I seriously had like, five other really kinky bronzeshipping scenes I was going to put in here, but that just didn't occur. Sorry. You'll probably be seeing them next chapter. In the meantime, I hope nihao. muse is satisfied with her bronzeshipping porn. Is everyone here a bronzeshipper? Good grief, what the hell am I doing writing bronzeshipping? I don't even like the ship!**

**Oh my god, when I put the next chapter out, I'll only have one week left! And I'll be done by the time Chapter 20 is done! 'dances'**

**As you can tell, I want out.**

**This chapter might have more typos/awkward mistakes in it because I literally proofread in about fifteen minutes. Usually I like to finish a chapter and proofread the next day, and give myself and hour or two to proofread. I wrote the entire last section today. My bad. :P I have to work in like, a half hour, (working until one AM, on a school night with three tests and a paper due tomorrow) and I really wanted to get this chapter submitted before I went to Hell. I work really crappy shifts all weekend, and seriously, your reviews really make me feel happy after work. Which is saying a lot, because I seriously want to drive my car into the lake after a normal shift on concessions.**

**Alright, time to go serve popcorn to everyone who needs to see the midnight showing of Iron Man 3 on a Thursday night.**

**-Fai**


	19. Sleepy

******EDIT: Apparently some people are having issues with FF. horror not allowing them to submit signed reviews for this chapter. It will say that you already submitted a review or something. I deleted the 'I suck and I'm late' alert and used the 'Submit New Chapter' button to post this chapter, which should allow people to submit another review. (That is what has happened in the past, at least) For some reason it's not doing that, so I'm going to redo the whole process here in the hopes that the problem goes away. So I'm sorry to the people who have subscribed, (I heart you, by the way) but you're getting like, four notifications for Chapter 19.**

******Oh, and if FF is still being douchy and you still want to leave a review, please log out, type up your review, and sign with your username. (Tell me it's your username if you want me to respond, I will go to the trouble of finding you and sending you a message) I accept anonymous reviews, so it's no problem.**

* * *

**I'm sorry. This is so insanely late, it's just insane. I think the last time I updated was…the beginning of May? It will NOT take me another two months to write the next chapter. If it does, I promise you can all kill me.**

**Serious, serious writer's block. Like, I don't even know. I open the Word Doc and I stare. I got nothing. This hasn't happened before. I mean, it **_**has **_**happened, but **_**never **_**this bad. And for so long. I literally would type five words and be out of things to say. This happened…every single day. I'd try to force myself, but that just made me depressed and ended with me eating ice cream and watching old Danny Phantom episodes.**

**Sigh. Just need to get the ball rolling. Just keep rolling, just keep rolling… 'sings like Dory'**

**DISCLAIMER: I own a very bad Vampire!Marik costume. I don't own Yugioh.**

**Sunday, March 12, 2006**

**Morning**

_Dear Rishid and Ishizu-_

_It's really hard to write to you guys when I really have nothing to write about. Nothing is happening around here. Bakura still hasn't come home, which sucks because I have no one to talk to. And I'm hopelessly stuck in my algebra homework, I really need him to come back and help my understand it._

_I wonder what you guys are up to. Ishizu, you're a junior in high school now. I remember how much you complained about being a freshman. I don't think it could have been that bad. I don't think I'll ever be able to have a freshman year of high school. But I can't imagine it was very hard, since you had teachers and classmates and real books and stuff. Do you have a boyfriend yet? Rishid said something about you being a lesbian a really long time ago, but he may have been kidding. I couldn't tell. If you have a girlfriend, that's fine. As long as they respect my sister, I'll like whoever you date. Have you gotten a car or a job yet? I think I'd like to learn how to drive, but I doubt Mariku would ever teach me how._

_Rishid, are you still working at the gas station? You better have gotten that promotion you wanted by now. Are a lot of people complaining about gas prices? Mariku bitches about how much it costs to fill up his car all the time. I tell him he should get a motorcycle because they use less gas, but he said that he needed a car. I don't know, isn't the point of a vehicle to get you places? A motorcycle could do that, but I think Mariku is just trying to be an ass about it._

_I hope you're not still looking for me. The news doesn't really talk about me or Bakura at all, so I really have no idea what you're up to. If Mariku would let me use the internet (with his supervision, I wouldn't try anything) I could look up your guys' Myspace pages or something. Do you even have a Myspace, Rishid? It doesn't sound like something you'd be into._

_If I could look you up, I'd be able to find out what you were doing. I wish I could contact you and tell you I'm okay and to stop worrying, I would. I'd really like to, but Mariku would say no, and he has final say. I'm sorry. I really am._

_I think about how I'd like to go back a lot. I could go back to school, I could see you and Ishizu again. I'd introduce you to Bakura. I think you'd like him. You're both quiet loners. He's a lot grumpier than you, but I don't think that would bother you. _

_But Mariku says no. I just can't go against what he wants from me. I'm sorry._

_I love you. I really do. I hope I do see you again someday, but it probably won't be for a very long time._

_-Marik_

* * *

**Sunday, March 12, 2006**

**Midday**

I'm so bored.

There's no Bakura. No homework to work on. No new books to read. Nothing on TV.

I already did my laundry today. All my clothes are washed, folded, and put away neatly in my drawers. I dusted my room. I even did all the dishes.

It's like this every single day. I get up and just try to pass the time until Mariku decides to pay attention to me.

I want something to do. I want something to live for other than the hope that Bakura will someday come back.

I've started taking naps. There's nothing else to fill up my afternoons. At first I thought that it would be a problem falling asleep at night, and I would not want to be stuck awake all night in Mariku's bed, but I haven't had any issues. I could sleep forever. Sometimes I wish I could.

Sometimes I think I want things. I want to go to school, I want to get out of the house. I want to run away and be with my brother and sister again. But I really don't know what I want. I don't know what will make me happy.

Actually, Bakura coming back would make me happy. I think it's the only thing that would.

I hear the garage door open. I squeeze my eyes shut and throw one arm over my face.

Mariku opens the garage door, the rustle of plastic bags sounding through the air. I pretend to not hear him.

"Marik? Are you taking another nap?"

He puts the bag down, walking across the room to the couch. I open my eyes and push myself up onto my elbows. Mariku sits down, staring at me blankly.

"I'm tired," I get out. Mariku nods and smiles, picking up my right hand and beginning to lay tiny kisses on each of my fingers.

"You've just been sleeping so much lately. I just want to make sure you're feeling alright." He drops my hand before picking up the other one and repeating the process. "Don't want you getting sick or anything."

"I'm not sick."

"Mmm." Mariku wraps his lips around my ring finger, sucking on it hungrily. I try to refrain from rolling my eyes, looking over to the other side of the room.

Mariku drops my hand. "I have something for you to do," he says. "I think…I think it'll help you."

I raise one eyebrow, a talent I developed copying Bakura so many times. Since when does Mariku care about helping me?

Mariku leans back, gripping my hand and rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. "It's a really small, simple job," he continues. "But it should help you become more self-sufficient, and Akefia says that's what you really need at your age…"

Wait, so he's talking to Akefia again? About me? Have there been more phone calls? How come I haven't been allowed to talk to Bakura again?

"Plus I'll trust you more if you can do this responsibly." Mariku leans forward and kisses my forehead. "Do you think you can do this for me?"

I stare for a moment, then nod. "Okay. What do you need me to do?"

Mariku grins. "I just need you to go out past the fence and get the mail. That's it."

That's it? That's…that's…

Impossible.  
I know I've wanted out. I know I've wanted to do something different, something to ease the boredom.

But now I have to go out past the fence. Out onto the street. Where anyone can see me, anyone can ask questions.

I'm…terrified.

"Can you do this for me, Marik?" Mariku looks down at me hopefully. I swallow and nod. He grins.

I get to my feet. Mariku follows me across the room, to the door to the garage. He quickly punches in the code to unlock it, and the door swings open. He never bothered to put the garage door down, so all I can see is the street.

The street. I'll be out there, all alone. Exposed.

"Well, I'll be waiting inside…" Mariku pauses, then reaches out to ruffle my hair. "I'm trusting you."

He shuts the door, leaving me outside the house.

I'm alone. Unguarded. Unprotected.

My knees shake, but I force myself to start moving anyway. Faster I get this done, the faster I can go back inside and get back to my nap. Might as well force myself. Actually, I don't think I could do this without forcing myself.

I'm out of the garage. I realize, once my feet make contact with the freezing asphalt of the driveway, that I am barefoot and without a coat. Oh well.

I clear the driveway. I'm on the sidewalk. I quickly locate the mailbox and go straight to it, never looking up at the street.

Open the mailbox. Grab the envelopes, a few flyers. I grab too fast and one envelope goes fluttering to the ground.

I stoop to pick it up, cursing under my breath. I maybe just increased my trip by five seconds, but it might as well have been five hours. I want to go back inside.

I gather the mail, gripping it tightly in my hands. Then, purely by accident, I look up.

There are…so many houses.

I knew Mariku and Akefia didn't live in the middle of nowhere. There was a house across the street from us that I could see from my bedroom window. Akefia told me the old couple that lived there died a few years ago though, and no one lives there now.

But I guess…I didn't really expect this. I've felt like I've been in the middle of nowhere since I got here, basically. It just seemed…weird to think that Bakura and I could be trapped and hurt so much when there are people, people we don't even know, living right next door.

Has no one thought anything suspicious was going on? Has no one heard us?

I know the shed is supposedly sound-proof, but Mariku's house isn't. What about the times I've been screaming in there? And Bakura and I have been outside, and we never exactly kept our voices down. Didn't anyone think that was weird, since Mariku doesn't have any kids of his own?

Do people even care?

I bite down on my lip, hard.

They have to care. Can people really be that cruel?

I squeeze my eyes shut, then open them again.

Of course people can.

I've been missing for a year and nine months, or something close to that. Bakura has been missing for six and a half years. It wouldn't be that hard to find us. Someone should have figured out the connection Mariku had to both of us. He was friends with Akefia before Bakura went missing, and Bakura told me that Mariku had even babysat him when he was younger. Apparently he volunteered at my school when I still went. I have no recollection of ever seeing him there, but his name should show up in records or something. And he was in prison for something before, because he got out early and is on parole now. The police don't even need a reason to search his house, I know that because Akefia once yelled at Mariku about it, and Bakura and I were in our room and overheard.

It would be so, so easy for the police to find us. And yet they don't. They've written us off. They think we're dead. They don't care that they have no bodies, no evidence. They don't care.

People don't care.

I swallow, and turn around. Away from the street, away from the houses. Away from the people who don't care about me or Bakura.

My heart sinks as I walk back. Even though I know that nobody cares about me now, part of me is still saying that I should have ran. Ran to the next door neighbor, tell them who I am and ask them to call the police. Mariku would probably see me once I passed the gap in the hedge where the fence was, but he's older and bigger than I am and is probably a lot slower. I could outrun him. I had a headstart anyway.

But I just can't do that. I'd never see Bakura again.

Besides, it's not like anyone cared.

My feet touch the smooth concrete of the garage once again. I make my way up the wooden steps and turn the door handle.

Mariku jumps away from the window as I step inside. He runs over to me, a big smile plastered on his face. "Good job, Marik. I'm proud of you."

I hand the mail to him and walk past him, over to the living area. I lay back down on the couch and pull the blanket back over me.

Mariku presses a button and I hear the garage door go down. He closes the door, walking over to the fridge.

I close my eyes. Return to my nap.

* * *

**Tuesday, March 14, 2006**

**Midday**

I'm playing Pokemon when Mariku gives me the order.

I stare at him over the top of my GameBoy. "Why?" I ask. Mariku folds his arms and huffs impatiently.

"Why do you think? Just go upstairs and take your clothes off. Wait for me. I'll be up soon."

He turns around and walks back into the garage, plastic bags rustling from his backseat. I sigh and save my game. There's going to be sex, obviously. But he has bags in his car, so I might get a present afterwards.

I trudge up the stairs, purposely making as much noise as possible. I strip off my clothing as soon as I'm in Mariku's room, throwing them in a pile in the corner of the room and moving to lay down on the bed.

Mariku bangs something against the wall as he comes up the stairs. I just close my eyes and hope that there will just be sex today and nothing extra.

The door swings open and Mariku lugs a chair from the table downstairs inside. I blink. Mariku stares at me expectantly. "Well? Come sit down."

I sigh. It's freezing in here. All I want to do is wrap myself in these blankets and doze off, but Mariku apparently has other plans. I get to my feet.

The chair is like ice against my naked skin. I shift uncomfortably, and Mariku shoots me a warning glance. I stop fidgeting.

"Hands in back," He commands. I do as I'm told. Mariku steps behind me and begins tying my wrists together, threading the rope through the back of the chair. Then he moves to the front, grabbing my ankle and tying it to the chair leg. He does the same for the other ankle.

I am fully immobilized. I can't do anything. I don't like it, but I'm used to it.

"Do you know what this is, Marik?" Mariku holds up a white thing that sort of looks like a microphone. I shake my head. Mariku grins.

"It's a vibrator," Mariku explains as he turns this thing on. "It's supposed to, um, _enhance _sexual experience."

I don't want it enhanced. I just want it to stop.

Mariku takes hold of my penis and begins to move his hand up and down. I immediately start to stiffen, and I have to bite my lip and try to distract myself with the pain. Mariku sees and smirks. "You're such a little slut."

I bite down harder to keep the words at bay. Mariku returns his attention to my private area, and presses the vibrator to my testicles.

"Oh, dammit…" I say, closing my eyes. Mariku chuckles and kisses my nose.

"It feels good, doesn't it?"

Yes. Yes it does. But I wish it didn't.

Suddenly, the vibrating sensation goes away. I open my eyes.

Mariku places the vibrator on the floor, which causes it to produce an obnoxious humming noise. He quickly grabs a roll of duct tape and a pair of scissors, cutting off a long strip and wrapping the middle part around the handle of the vibrator. Then he presses the vibrator up against me once again, making me moan, and tapes it in place.

He stands up and steps back, smiling to himself. I look up at him with pleading eyes. "Mariku…"

"Hmm?" He turns around, ruffling through his cabinet filled with sex things. "What is it, Marik?"

I bite my lip again. "I don't like this." I admit quietly.

Mariku doesn't even turn around. "Who said anyone gives a fuck about what you like?"

He finds what he was looking for, but he doesn't do anything with it right away. Instead, he sets it down on the bed and comes over to face me.

He stares at my face; I stare back. Neither of us blink. I fight off tears the entire time, though.

Finally, Mariku opens his mouth to issue another command. "Kiss me," he orders. And I do. I have to.

Mariku bites my lip, and a let out a squeak. I underestimated how much that would hurt.

Suddenly, Mariku pulls back. "You think this is funny?" He yells. I just stare back.

"Well? Do you?"

I blink. "Mariku, I don't know what you're-"

"Of course you do, you little shit!" Mariku seizes hold of my shoulder, keeping me steady as he slaps me across the face. I blink back tears. Pain isn't worth crying about anymore.

Mariku continues to yell, but I don't understand what he's trying to say. His sentences aren't making sense. I begin to shake. Mariku is…never like this. He's flown into rages before, but this…this just doesn't make sense. There's no reason for him to be acting this way. No provocation.

"Well?!" Mariku screams again as he slaps me. I just blink, returning my blurry, unfocused eyes to him. Mariku shows no signs of stopping in his attack, or coming to his senses.

I'm afraid. I'm very afraid.

Mariku huffs. "Fine, I'll just leave you here." He turns grabbing the mystery object from the bed and shoving something into my mouth. He pulls back on it and fastens the straps in the back of my head, pulling too tight. "There, now I don't have to hear your pathetic little voice."

He turns towards the door, then stops suddenly. He turns back, hand wrapping around the vibrator and turning it up. I squeak at the sensation. "No cumming for you, Marik." He fists his hand in my hair, jerking my face up to lock eyes with him. "If you cum, I _will _know, and you _will _be punished for disobeying me. Got it? You can only cum when I come back and give you permission. Until then, you will hold it. Trust me, you don't want to find out what the consequences are for disobeying me right now."

With that, he turns on his heel and walks out the door without another thought.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the noise and sensations below me. I bite down on the ball, I make fists with my hands, nothing works.

The feeling just won't go away. It's uncomfortable on such a tender area of my body, but it still feels amazing. I feel myself getting harder, my muscles squeezing and contracting…

No. I can't cum. Mariku told me I couldn't.

Downstairs, I can hear Mariku happily chatting away to someone on the phone. The oven turns on, and plastic rustles and Mariku takes something out of its packaging.

I'm so hard now. My body is climbing towards that one moment, the climax right before I release everything inside me. Usually that makes me happy, because it means that the sex must be almost over. But now it's not almost over. I don't know when it could be over. It could be hours.

I can't cum. I _can't _cum.

It hurts. I have to focus on tensing my muscles to avoid cumming. Everything seems to keep building up behind it, and it hurts to keep it all inside. But I can't release. I can't.

I don't know how long I sit like this, tensed up and trying to keep everything inside. At one point I start moaning and hope that it will somehow lessen the pressure, but all it did was make me want to let even _more _out, and I nearly came. But I didn't.

Mariku continues to calmly go about his business downstairs. The oven door opens and closes several times, the TV turns on. The phone rings again and Mariku talks for a long time, laughing every now and then. It's like he doesn't even know I'm up here.

I can't cum. I can't cum.

I don't know how much time passes. All I know is that it's still bright outside when I finally hear footsteps coming up the stairs.

Mariku walks over to the door and pauses, then I hear more footsteps leading away, into the bathroom. I groan in frustration. The toilet flushes, the sink turns on.

I'm still here. I'm still holding it in. I can't cum.

Finally, Mariku opens the door. He looks at me, then looks at the floor. He steps forward, a blank look on his face.

"So you obeyed me and you didn't cum. Good…" He leans forward, fiddling with the vibrator once more. And the pleasurable feeling on my groin increases.

I groan, and look at Mariku with pleading eyes. He stares back, eyes empty. "No cumming." He repeats.

He stands up, walking around me. I begin to whimper, because this hurts. It hurts to hold it all in.

Mariku returns, something long and black and skinny with a rectangle-thing at the top. He watches me tremble for a minute before striking me on my thigh with it.

He doesn't speak. Just continues to hit me with this thing. He hits all over my thighs, paying close attention to the tender inner flesh. He hits me on my groin, on my stomach. I try not to cry, but a few tears leak from my eyes anyway.

Suddenly, Mariku seizes the strap around my head, pulling the ball out of my mouth. I immediately let out a groan.

Mariku's hand goes to my penis, rubbing up and down the shaft, thumb massaging the tip. "You want to cum?" He asks in a gruff voice. I wonder if this is his permission. I want to cum so bad, but I force myself to wait for more explicit permission. I bite my lip and nod. He smirks, just a little, and leans forward.

"Then you'll have to beg me for it," he whispers in my ear. He draws back, smirking more than ever as I stare back, incredulous. "Well? Didn't you hear me? Beg."

I can't. I can't wait that long.

"Please…" I manage to get out. The smirk disappears from Mariku's face.

"Not good enough, I'm afraid."

I can't hold it in.

"Please!" I say again, more insistently.

Mariku rubs harder. "Please what? Be specific, Marik."

Oh god, oh god, oh god…

"Please let me cum!"

"No."

I try not to curse. I really do. It just slips out. Mariku slaps me across the face. I cry in frustration.

"Ask me again." His eyes are hard. "Ask _politely_. And address me. It's disrespectful not to."

I'm in pain. It hurts so much to hold it in and I'm tired and crying and I'm somehow not cumming.

"Please let me cum, Mariku," I get out, managing not to yell. My breathing gets heavy. Mariku's face doesn't change.

"Address me," he says calmly. "as I deserve."

I don't know. I'm stuck and I want to cry. I want to cum. I want to be done with this.

I don't know what he wants me to call him. I used his name. Fuck, I don't even know his last name. Bakura and I don't call him anything else. He's never asked us to call him anything else.

The title occurs to me. I don't want to say it, but I know instantly it's what he wants. I have to say it.

"Master." I manage. "Please let me cum, Master."

Mariku smiles. "Alright. Go ahead."

I scream.

It…hurts.

But I feel so relieved. And tired.

Mariku dips down and begins to suck on the head of my penis, his hands swiftly untying my ankles. I sigh in relief, hopefully I'll be able to take a nap after this.

I expect Mariku to reach behind me and untie my hands, but he doesn't. Instead, he pushes himself up and presses his lips against mine. I try to keep my mouth closed, but Mariku prods at my lips with his tongue, and I know better than to play stupid.

He tastes salty. The reason why is obvious, but I don't want to think about it.

I don't kiss back. I never do, unless Mariku tells me to. He doesn't now. He just keeps kissing me, his hands exploring my chest and my waist, and dropping down to slip under my thighs…

Dammit, he wants sex. I really, really don't want to have to deal with sex right now.

Mariku doesn't bother with lube or preparation or anything. He just tilts my body back, lines himself up with my hole, and thrusts in.

I gasp. It hurts. It just hurts. This isn't even pleasurable right now, right after I've orgasmed. It just hurts.

The chair creaks as Mariku continues to pound into me. I think about saying something to Mariku, but I stop myself. He'd just get mad.

Mariku moves his attention to my neck, biting at the soft skin. I close my eyes and try to block it out. I've had bite marks up and down my neck ever since my collar came off. Mariku seems to like marking up my skin.

The chair creaks one final time, and one of the back legs gives. The chair topples backwards. Mariku holds his arms out to catch himself, but I don't have that option. The back of the chair hits the ground, and my lungs freeze up. I can't breathe.

Mariku stares down at me, gasping for breath. We came apart during the fall, but he immediately grabs hold of my hips once again, shoving himself inside. He continues to have sex with me as he reaches under me and unties my hands. I yank my arms out from under the chair. Mariku connects our mouths once again before sliding his hands under my waist, lifting me up. I grab onto his shoulders automatically. I don't want to fall again.

I expect Mariku to lay me on the bed, but instead he turns around, slamming me into the wall. My muffled yell of pain is swallowed between the two of us.

Mariku keeps thrusting up, into me. My fingers dig into his shoulders, eyes squeezed shut. Mariku breaks apart from the kiss, moving his mouth to assault my neck.

"Tell me you love me," He insists before busying his mouth with sucking on my skin.

"I love you," I say without really thinking about it. Mariku continues to suck and bite the flesh of my neck.

"Tell me how much you want me to fuck you."

I don't say anything. Mariku pulls back and slaps me across the face.

"Well?!"

I don't. I want him to stop. I want him to lay me down on his bed and let me sleep. I'm tired. I'm sick of this.

God, I feel sick.

I tremble. Mariku presses against me. "Marik," he growls.

I scramble to find something to say. Anything. But I can't. I don't want him to touch me, I can't find the right words to lie.

Mariku roars. He pulls out, pulling me forward only to slam me back against the wall. My vision fills with light for a moment, and I think I'm dying.

I'm not. I'm still here. Mariku begins punching me. Slapping me. I don't know. I've stopped caring.

Mariku turns and throws me onto the bed. He descends quickly, raining punches and blows to my face and body. He doesn't even speak. Just hits. And I don't do anything. I just lie there.

The beating seems to go on forever. Mariku finally stops his assault a while after I've closed my eyes and stopped reacting. He's quiet and still for a second. Then I feel his hands at my legs again, prying me apart and shoving himself inside.

He isn't at it for long. He finishes soon enough and pulls out, the entire ordeal over with. Mariku presses two fingers to my neck and holds them there for a few seconds, then pulls them away and flops down on his back. He doesn't try to hold me. Fine with me. I submit to my exhaustion and allow myself to sleep.

* * *

**Friday, March 17, 2006**

**Late Morning**

I've slept for practically three days.

I see no point in getting up. What is there to do when I'm awake? Eat, use the bathroom. Then pass the time until I can sleep again. Nothing I do brings me any enjoyment anymore.

Mariku doesn't seem too concerned. He's yelled at me a few times for sleeping on the couch when he wants to watch his game, or gotten mad when I'm sleepy while we have sex, but that's about it. He's ignoring me. That's fine. I would rather he do so.

I squeeze my eyes shut, but I can't make myself sleep. Mariku let me drink a cup of his coffee with breakfast this morning, so I probably just have too much caffeine in my system. I don't feel more awake, though.

Mariku glares at me as I flick the TV on. He's sitting at the table doing his taxes, and he looks stressed out. "Mute that."

"Fine." I press the mute button, staring at the now silent television with blank eyes.

I don't even bother with changing the channel. Nothing entertaining is ever on.

I faintly hear a car pull into our driveway, but I don't think anything of it. This house is at the end of a dead-end road, we get a lot of people who drive down it and have to turn around.

The car stops. That's a little weird, but not all that uncommon. Mariku gets people dropping by sometimes, something to do with his 'business'. I stand up, ready to hide in the laundry room. Mariku looks over at the door strangely. "Nobody called me…" he mutters. I pause, ready to run and hide as Mariku walks over to the curtain and peers out. He only looks for a second before running to the door and pulling it open.

"Well, it's about fucking time!" he yells. "Christ, what the fuck were you doing there? You've been gone for months!"

"I know you never passed the eighth grade, but I think even you would know how to count." Akefia retorts. "It's been two months. Less than that, actually."

Mariku starts to yell something back about his high school diploma, but I shove past him, through the door.

Akefia stands on the stone walkway, the green duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Bakura stands next to him, hair down and hands in his pocket. We look at each other at the same time.

I spring forward. My arms around him. His arms around me. All is right with the world again.

I press my mouth to his ear. "I missed you," I whisper.

"I missed you too."

I bury my nose in his hair and inhale his scent. He lets me. Which is a little uncharacteristic of him, usually he yells at me whenever I try to touch his hair.

"Both of you, get back inside," Mariku says gruffly. Bakura and I break apart, but I keep my hold on his hand as I pull him along. Akefia stands and waits for us to pass him before stepping inside himself.

Mariku and Akefia start their newest battle as soon as the door is closed.

"Where the fuck is his collar?!" Mariku gestures angrily in Bakura's direction. Indeed, his collar is gone. A small smile actually appears on his face.

Akefia folds his arms. "I destroyed it. The cheap metal you used irritated his skin, not to mention he was outgrowing it. Besides, you took Marik's off."

"Marik earned it," Mariku spits through clenched teeth. "And it's my decision to make, not yours."

Akefia just raises his hands. "Alright, fine. But his collar is gone now, yelling at me won't solve anything."

I pull Bakura over to the couch, sitting down and tugging on his arm until he sits down as well. He leans into me, and I instinctively wrap my arms around him. "You look tired."

He nods. "Uncle and I've been driving all night," he yawns. "I really just want to take a nap right now, as bad as that sounds."

"That doesn't sound bad." I pull him closer.

He shrugs. "I just…I want to talk to you."

I hug him. "You can sleep. I don't mind. I'm just glad you're back."

There, Bakura actually smiles. Something shatters on the other side of the room, and we both turn and see shards of glass scattered across the floor. Akefia looks angry, Mariku is just seething.

"Well, fine." Mariku turns around, eyes trained on us. "I'll just take Bakura upstairs and fuck his brains out, if you don't mind."

"Mariku. Stop." Mariku doesn't pay Akefia any attention. He seizes Bakura by the elbow and yanks him to his feet. "Mariku! Whatever issue you have, yell at me about it. Don't take it out on him!"

"Excuse me?!" Mariku throws Bakura to the floor. I scramble down to help him. "You're seriously going to sit and lecture me about this? These boys are my property, and I'll do whatever the fuck I want to them!"

I quickly pull Bakura out, up the stairs. Mariku might forget about us if we're not right there. Doubtful, but worth a try.

We go into our shared room and immediately duck under the covers in Bakura's bed. I wrap my arms around his waist, pressing our bodies together.

We don't say anything. We don't have to. We just stare at each other, listening to the sounds of the fight below us.

I know Mariku will come in as soon as Akefia leaves, demanding sex from Bakura. I know he'll have to go into Mariku's room, and I'll have to listen as Mariku fucks him. I know our moment will end soon. But that doesn't matter right now. Bakura's back, and we'll have millions of more moments like this.

Bakura's back, with me. I close my eyes and snuggle against him. A second later, he does the same.

* * *

**So I know I kept telling people 'the new chapter will be out THIS Friday!' And that was like, 69324 days ago. Combination of the fact that I work a ton, I'm exhausted, and I'm depressed, so even if I do have time off, I don't feel motivated enough to write this story. Or work on my Sims 3 legacy. Or do anything!**

**But I did get the Bronzeshipping out, I hope it's not too wtf-worthy. There was originally two other Bronzeshipping sex scenes, but I edited them out because one didn't really fit and will be edited in later, and the other was just weird. It contained a door sex swing, and I must have been high or something when I wrote it, because I read it the next day and was like, 'how the fuck did I think this wasn't bizarre and unreadable? To the trash can with you!' I don't know, do people want to read porn involving sex swings? I don't even know why I wrote it, who the fuck sits down to write gay porn and thinks 'sex swings!'?**

**Big thanks to animerival for helping me out with the Bronzeshipping. I wasn't able to give you sex on the floor like you wanted, but it will happen soon. And I really hope you didn't die of inappropriate enjoyment while reading this.**

**Update on my life? I graduated high school. Blah. I won my school's Creative Writing award, which confused me because the last time I showed a teacher anything I wrote creatively was first semester Junior year, and I sucked back then. At my graduation ceremony, my principal went, "Look around at this class. These are the future doctors, scientists, leaders of tomorrow" and I thought, 'fuck, that's a terrifying thought.' I read all of Death Note, and it pissed me off. And I worked way too much and my back is still injured, so that's been fun. I cut my hair really short today, which is awesome because I've had long hair literally all my life.**

**So there are a few people whose reviews/PMs I haven't responded to in the past couple days, sorry about that. I'll get back to you soon, but I shall be at AniMinneapolis all weekend and it is unlikely that I will be on the internet. **

**If you live in MN, you should come so we can party together. LittleKuriboh will be gracing us all with his presence. It's my first con, and I'm really nervous. I'm cosplaying Marik in his Bloodlines vampire outfit, because I didn't feel like making his sweatshirt-thing. My cosplay is really bad, because I was more concerned with dressing myself cheaply than making a good costume. I'm also not wearing the right vest, because I tried to order a purple vest online but Amazon decided to hate me, screw up the shipping so I won't even get it until next week, then somehow the vest that cost me like, $30 magically cost more than $50, I have no idea and I feel like I'm going to be making some angry calls to Amazon after the con, but for now I'm just going to enjoy the con with my vampire fangs and a too-dark Marik wig.**

**And I should go to bed, because I plan to get up in...three and a half hours before my friend picks me up to go to the con. I still haven't packed. Blah. I can never enjoy these things when they happen.**

**Love and rainbows!**

**-Fai**


	20. Blood and Chocolate

**How have you guys put up with me for twenty chapters?**

**Also, I am going to start us off with a LittleKuriboh quote.**

**ME: 'while buying keychains' "I need both Marik and Bakura, I can't just buy one. They can't be separated!"**

**LK: 'in Abridged!Marik's voice' "They have to TOUCH each other!"**

**Inappropriate humor.**

**Disclaimer: I own a plush turret from Portal. ****I don't own Yugioh.**

* * *

**Sunday March 19, 2006**

**Afternoon**

_Thump._

_Thump._

_Thump._

I really wish he didn't have to do that.

_Thump._

It's been like this ever since Bakura got home. Sex, all the time.

I want to spend time with Bakura, with just the two of us, but that hasn't happened very much. Mariku is always with us, which doesn't really give us time to talk. He's also constantly pulling Bakura out of the room so they can have sex. I kind of wonder how he can even keep up-I mean, he usually can't even have sex twice a day without getting tired. And it seems like he's just doing it all the time now.

Mariku also makes Bakura sleep in his bed with him. I hate this. I'm stuck in our bedroom by myself, and I feel alone. I sleep in Bakura's bed, but it still feels empty.

_Thump._

_Thump._

Upstairs, Bakura groans. I hear Mariku curse, and something crashes to the floor. Footsteps. Voices. I change the channel.

Akefia has also dropped by once every day since bringing Bakura back. I think he's afraid Mariku is going to murder Bakura or something. I don't know. Yesterday he came in while Mariku was upstairs having sex with Bakura, which was pretty awkward to explain to him. He got this pinched up, annoyed look on his face, but calmed down after a minute. Then he sat down with me on the couch and asked me questions about the past two months. We were just trying to block out the sounds of sex upstairs the entire time.

Finally, a door opens upstairs and Bakura comes down the stairs. He's leaning on the stair rail, looking tired. His legs shake a bit when he steps down. He won't admit it, but I think all the sex is hurting him. He's been walking carefully, leaning against things when possible. I wish I could help him, but the last time I tried to do that, he called me a wanker and pinched me in the nipple.

Bakura finally makes his way across the living room, plopping down next to me on the couch. I adjust my position, and he lays down with his head in my lap. I twirl a piece of his hair between my fingers, grateful that neither of us needs to say anything.

Mariku comes down a few minutes later, scowling when he sees us together on the couch. He goes over to the fridge, taking some Chinese takeout thing out and beginning to eat it standing up. "Get your own lunch, boys. I'm not feeding you."

Good. I nudge Bakura. "You hungry, 'Kura?"

Bakura shakes his head. "Still full..." He mutters. We did have a big breakfast. We both got up before Mariku was awake and made pancakes. He was angry with us for eating so much food, but the pancakes were so good.

I stroke Bakura's hair, and he closes his eyes. Mariku finishes his lunch quickly, then tosses the container in the trash. "I'm going out," he says shortly, grabbing his keys off the counter. "I'll be back later tonight."

Neither of us responds. Mariku looks at us expectantly for a minute, then huffs and turns around. "Don't burn my house down," he grunts.

The door slams. Out in the garage, the car starts up. Bakura doesn't move. I nudge him. "'Kura."

Still no movement. I tap his face, and he immediately bats my hand away. "Go 'way." He mumbles, lowering his cheek back down to my thigh. I frown.

"Bakura, don't you want to have some fun?"

"I want to sleep. Leave me alone."

"But..." I stammer, trying to think of a good excuse to get Bakura up. "But Mariku is gone! We can do whatever we want now!"

He won't stop us with his constant demands for sex, is what I'm trying to say. But that's something that remains unspoken between us.

Bakura sighs and sits up, rubbing his eyes. "Fine. I'm up. What do you want to do?"

I try to smile. "Whatever you want. You still haven't shown me those pictures you drew."

Bakura sighs, but he pushes himself off the couch anyway. "They're in my folder," He mumbles.

I follow Bakura upstairs, running my hand along the banister. I want to ask him the questions that have been plaguing my mind for months, about Akefia, what he was doing out in Detroit, what's going on with him and Mariku, what's up with Bakura cutting himself…

I can't ask right now, though. I'll have to wait for a good moment, when we're together and happy. Right now, he'd probably just snap at me.

"The lighting in our motel room fucking sucked, so these aren't the best pictures…" Bakura says as he grabs his folder of drawings from the dresser, plopping down on his bunk. I sit down next to him.

Bakura grabs a stack of papers by their tops and pulls them out, dropping them on the bedspread before snapping the folder shut, not paying the slightest bit of attention to his drawings. I quickly fan them out, trying to take them all in at once. My stomach flips.

Bakura…has a sick mind.

Half the drawings were of innocent things. A lot of realistic objects, chairs and windows and stuff. A few are of me. Some of them are just…creepy.

He draws death. He draws people with their skin peeled away, people with bones and brains showing through. Misery. Pain.

I don't like this part of Bakura. I wish he didn't think about things like this.

"You're really good, Bakura." I swallow, attempt to smile. Bakura scoffs.

"You hate most of them. It's fine. Don't lie to me."

I reach out to touch Bakura's hair. "No, Bakura, it's just-"

Bakura smacks my hand away. "What? It's just what?" He jumps to his feet. "Am I too disturbed for you? Are you going to tell me I'm sick in the head too?!"

"No, of course not!" I stammer. "But I'm worried-"

"Shut up! Just shut the fuck up!" He yells, burying his hands in his hair and pulling. "What, are you teaming up with my uncle now to torment me about this shit?"

"No." Tears begin to form in my eyes, but I hold back. I don't cry, at least not anymore. "I just don't like…that you like drawing this." I gesture to a zombie-drawing. Bakura snatches it from the bed.

"This is who I am, Marik!" He yells, shoving the paper in my face before throwing it to the floor. "And if you don't like it, you can just go to hell!" He turns, walking out the door without looking back.

I follow him out to the hallway, but he goes into the bathroom and slams the door, locking it behind him. I start pounding on the door. "Bakura, let me in!"

Bath water begins flowing. "Go away."

"What's wrong? Bakura, talk to me. I'm your friend."

No answer. I keep banging on the door. "Bakura, please, I'm really worried about you."

"Stop worrying about me! I'm _fine_."

I jiggle the doorknob a few times, but it doesn't give. "No you're not, you're really upset. Please Bakura, just let me in!"

"No."

I fold my arms, turning around and plopping down on the floor, my back to the door. "Fine, then I'll just wait here for you to come out."

"You'll be waiting a long time."

I don't care. I wait. Bakura turns the water off soon, and the tub squeaks as he gets in. He's silent for a really long time. I play with a fingernail.

Mariku comes home. He calls out our names when he walks inside, but I don't answer. He comes up the stairs and looks surprised when he sees me sitting against the bathroom door. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

I shrug. "Bakura's taking a bath."

"And you're just sitting there, waiting for him to get out?"

"I need to talk to him."

"Oh, that isn't weird and stalkerish at all." Mariku rolls his eyes. "I called your name, you know."

"Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

"Whatever," he mutters. He walks up to the bathroom door, leaning over me as me pounds on the door. "Bakura, I'll need the bathroom in a minute. Get the fuck out of the tub."

Bakura doesn't respond, but we hear water begin draining.

Mariku runs his hand through his hair spikes as he walks away. "I'm going out tonight. Don't wait up for me."

I stand up. "Where are you going?"

"I have a date." Mariku stands in front of his bedroom door, staring at the grainy wood. "And I might bring someone home, so both of you stay in your room tonight. I don't want her seeing either of you."

"So it's a girl?"

"Yes, it's a girl, what's up with all these fucking questions?" Mariku snaps, turning his head to me with a furious look in his eye.

I shrug. "I'm just curious."

"Well, stop being curious. It's not of your fucking business."

Then the bathroom door opens and Bakura steps out, his hair wet. He doesn't look at me as he moves into our room. I follow him. Behind me, Mariku huffs and opens the door to his room.

Bakura stands in the middle of the floor, staring at the loose papers fluttering around the room. I stand behind him, hardly daring to breathe in case I somehow mess up the delicate balance keeping us from fighting right now. Slowly, I step towards him, and somehow work up the courage to wrap my arms around his waist from behind.

I rest my chin on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," I say. "I don't like it when we fight."

"Everyone fights," Bakura mutters. But he does turn around to face me. I don't try to hug him again because he's clearly not in the mood, but I do reach up to touch his hair.

"Can I brush your hair again?" I blurt out.

Bakura's eyes snap to my face, surprised. Then a tiny smile appears on his face. "I guess. If you really feel the need to."

Of course I do. I love Bakura's hair. I run to the bathroom to grab my brush and come back to find Bakura on his knees, gathering up all his artwork. I set the brush down and bend down to help him. The room is silent save for the sound of flapping paper.

We get the papers gathered up and put away in Bakura's folder soon enough, and then we're on the bed, me brushing out Bakura's long, wet hair.

"You know, I've always wanted to braid your hair, and you always say no to me," I say. Bakura scoffs.

"That's because it's weird. I'm a boy, and boys don't braid their hair."

"Boys don't usually have hair this long either."

"My dad always had long hair." He says emotionlessly. "Besides, I told you you could braid it that one time."

"Yeah, but I never got to."

He huffs. "Fine. I don't care what you do with it, then."

I smile and begin to separate his hair into three sections. I've always really liked braiding hair, I used to braid my sister's all the time. The reason I've been pestering Bakura about braiding his hair so much is because his hair is so messy all the time. It would be less messy and tangled if he just let me braid it after he showered.

The shower turns on, far away in the bathroom. Bakura shifts his position. "Where's Mariku going?"

"On a date," I answer. "With a girl."

"Sweet. Maybe he'll fall in love and turn us loose."

The words carelessly fall out of Bakura's mouth, but they make my heart stop. My fingers are still, Bakura's braid half-finished. He turns slightly to glance at me over his should. "Relax, I was just joking. That would never happen."

I swallow, even though my throat is parched, and attempt to smile. "R-right.."

Bakura rolls his eyes and turns back around.

I finish Bakura's hair and we turn the TV on our dresser on. We both stare at it, not really taking in what we're watching when Mariku opens the door and pokes his head in.

"I'm leaving now," he says gruffly. "I'll be back in a couple hours, hopefully with my date. I want you boys to stay in your room while she's here, got it? No coming out for anything. I don't want her to know anyone else lives here."

We nod. Mariku stares at us for a second, like he forgot what he was talking about. "So, yeah. Get yourselves some dinner, be in bed by the time I get back. Or not in bed, I don't really care, as long as you're quiet. And lock your door from the inside."

He tosses something silver to us, and I jump up to catch it. A key. Mariku's trusting us with the key to our room.

Mariku stares at us for a long minute before throwing the door open and walking into our room. He makes his way over to me and quickly kisses the top of my head. He bends over Bakura and does the same to him. "I love you two. Behave yourselves." He flashes his eyes at me. "Or I'll have to punish you."

I shiver. Mariku calmly walks out, down the stairs and out the garage.

Bakura has already turned back to the television, his arms wrapped around his legs and his knees pressed to his chest. I jump in front of him, grabbing him by his elbows and tugging him up. "Let's go get something to eat, 'Kura."

"Not hungry," he says.

I huff and cross my arms over my chest. "We don't have to eat a full meal or anything. We can just snack."

"I just told you, I'm not hungry. What are you getting so worked up about?"

Truthfully? I missed him. I spent two months, two friggin months, sitting around the house completely bored out of my mind. Two months of being virtually nothing more than an animated sex doll for Mariku. I'm used to spending my nights trying to pass the hours without dying of boredom until it's time to go to Mariku and sleep in his bed with him. I missed staying up late just to talk with Bakura, I missed having fun with him. And I really missed being able to sleep together, with him in my arms or me in his.

But he's been so distant lately, I'm sure he'd be angry if I told him that.

"Nothing. I'm just bored, that's all," I say, trying my best to sound as bored as I say.

Bakura rolls his eyes. But he gets up.

"Okay. You wanted to eat?"

I nod, smiling. "Bakura, we should make s'mores!"

Bakura protests as I grab his arm and drag him downstairs. "But we don't have a fire or anything! It's not like we can go outside and build one!"

"Then we'll make them over the stove," I say. I stop, releasing Bakura's arm. "'Kura, I've never had these things before. Can we just try?"

Bakura huffs. "They're so messy."

"Then we'll clean up afterwards. Mariku will never know."

"We could burn the house down."

"We could do that with grilled cheese too."

"I don't think Mariku has all the ingredients for s'mores," Bakura argues weakly.

"Well, we won't know until we check!" I go over to the cabinet and throw the doors open. A bag of marshmallow's sit right in front. Jackpot. I grab them and toss the bag to Bakura. "What else do we need? Chocolate and crackers?"

"Graham crackers," Bakura says, defeated. "And we'll need something to roast these things with."

"Like these giant pokey stick thingies?" I grab one and hold it high in the air, as if I'm presenting it to the gods. The corners of Bakura's mouth twitch upwards a little, but he doesn't laugh. I bring the long metal stick back down, being careful of its sharp end. "What is this used for, anyway?"

"Probably to skewer things or…make kebabs…"

"Make what? Kedaahs?"

"No, ke…I actually don't know what it's supposed to be used for." Bakura puts the package of marshmallows down on the counter. "But it should work to roast marshmallows."

I smile and dig a second stick thing out of the cabinet. I root around a bit more to get to Mariku's candy stash and grab a couple of Hershey bars. Bakura yells out that he found a package of graham crackers that were past their expiration date, but should be okay.

Bakura turns the stove on low and impales a marshmallow on his stick, lowering the marshmallow until it hovers just above the flame. I try my best to copy Bakura, but I end up setting my marshmallow on fire. Bakura cracks up as I pull it away and blow on it to put the fire out.

"You have to eat it," he smirks. I turn to glare at him.

"I'm not eating something that was just on fire."

"That's the rule though! Set your marshmallow on fire, you have to eat it." He smirks again. I pout and shoot him the finger before pulling the blackened marshmallow off my stick and sticking it in my mouth.

It's not terrible. Once my tongue broke past the flaky, burnt shell, the marshmallow turns gooey and warm. I rub my fingers together to get the rest of the black flakes off before grabbing another marshmallow.

Bakura is already done. His marshmallow is a soft golden brown, completely perfect. He smirks again as he removes the marshmallow and sandwiches it in between two graham crackers and a square of chocolate.

"Try _not_ putting it in the fire, Marik."

"I'm trying! This is a lot harder than it looks."

Bakura takes a bite of his s'more, looking thoughtful. "My brother always set his marshmallow's on fire. I'd always set mine on fire too, so he wouldn't feel bad." He takes another bite, swallowing before continuing. "My sister thought she was the best marshmallow roaster around, since she hardly ever burnt hers."

I stay quiet, hoping Bakura will continue, but it doesn't seem like he will without prompting. "Did you guys make s'mores a lot?"

A tiny smile appears on Bakura's lips, and his eyes get this strange, glazed look. "Not a lot. I had never even heard of them until I moved to America, and even after we did, my parents didn't let us eat them very much. They didn't like us eating sugar. Fed us organic shit for every meal. But my dad would let us make these a lot during the summer. He'd pitch a tent in the backyard and build a fire, and we'd spend the night roasting marshmallows and hotdogs. It was fun."

Bakura stops there. His smile is gone.

"You must miss them a lot," I find myself saying.

Bakura shrugs. "Yeah. I do miss them. At least…" Bakura stops for a second, looking lost in thought. "At least with your family, you know they're still there. They're still alive. But my mom and my little sister…they're gone. I think that's the hardest part. Even if I get out of here, I'll never see them again. Even after all this time has passed since they died, I still can't wrap my head around it."

He pauses to fiddle with his hair. I watch and wait for him to keep talking.

Bakura is silent for a long minute, before opening his mouth slightly and talking so quietly he might as well be whispering. "It hurts that they'll never know what happened to me," he says. "Uncle taped over their TV interviews and showed them to me later on…they thought I was dead. Both my parents were 100% certain I was dead. My mom and my sister died thinking I was already dead. And I'm not."

He stops talking. I don't talk. We finish making and eating our s'mores in silence.

When we're done, Bakura turns the sink on and squirts some soap onto the sponge. I give him a quick hug from behind. "Hey, 'Kura."

"What now?" He says gruffly. Great, now the grumpy is back.

I lean against the counter, but he avoids looking me in the eye. "Thanks for talking to me."

He stops and turns to me. He doesn't smile, but I can tell he feels happy. "Yeah. Of course."

We clean the kitchen meticulously, hoping Mariku won't be able to tell what we made. He'd probably disapprove. After we're done I take a look at the clock and see we still have a while before Mariku comes home.

"Are you still hungry, 'Kura?"

"A little, maybe. We have a while before Mariku comes home."

I shrug. "Do you want to make popcorn and watch movies?"

Bakura grins at that. "I'd like that."

We pop a big bowl of popcorn, even though we're both a little full from s'mores. Bakura grabs a couple cans of Coke from the fridge and we run upstairs to our room. I hunt around for a good movie to watch while Bakura changes out of his clothes. Soon we're on the bed, in our pajamas, cuddled together under a blanket with our bowl of popcorn between us.

"There's no way we're going to finish this tonight," Bakura laughs. I smile.

"Oh, well. At least no one's starving us now."

Bakura smiles. Genuinely smiles.

We watch one movie and are halfway through the second one when the garage door opens. We scramble to turn the TV off and lock the door, putting our leftover popcorn and soda on the dresser where we can't accidentally knock it over.

I get under the covers in Bakura's bunk, and he lies down with me. My arm instantly comes around him, drawing him close to me. A door slams downstairs, followed by female laughter.

"That must be Mariku's new girlfriend," Bakura whispers.

We can hear Mariku talking to her from up here, but we can't make out what he's saying. The girl keeps laughing, like everything Mariku says is absolutely hilarious. Soon we hear footsteps coming up the stairs.

Bakura and I stay as silent as we can as they go into Mariku's room. It's not long until we hear the girl groan, followed by several thumps against our wall. The thumping and the groaning, mixed in with Mariku's own animalistic grunts and moans, continue on for what seems like forever.

I manage to tune it out. I focus on the feeling of Bakura in my arms. I focus on our bodies pressed together, warm and safe and comfortable. Bakura falls asleep pretty fast. I bury my face in his hair and wait until I hear Mariku's grunt of completion before I slip into dreamland myself.

* * *

**Tuesday, March 21, 2006**

**Night**

"I'm going to bed."

We both look up. Mariku gets to his feet, only sparing us a glance as he moves across the room. "I have to be up early tomorrow, so be quiet."

"'Night," I call out after him. Mariku only grunts.

Bakura and I relax after he's gone, cuddling against each other under our blanket. Neither of us say anything, but we're both just happy Mariku hasn't dragged one of us off to bed.

We continue watching TV for another hour or so, before Bakura declares that he is exhausted and was going to bed. I decide to go too, because staying up isn't fun when Bakura's not with me.

Our plates from dinner still remain on the coffee table, so we quickly gather them up and walk them over to the dishwasher. It's nearly full, so I put away the dishes while Bakura gets out the box of dish detergent.

"We should try to convince Mariku to let us go outside tomorrow," I say as Bakura pours the detergent into the soap compartment. He doesn't look up to answer me.

"I don't know. Mariku said he had to get up early tomorrow, so he'll probably be gone."

My smile falters, but only for a moment. "Well, if he's here."

"Whatever."

Bakura turns the sink on, rinsing the bits of soap dust from his fingers. My hands join his under the faucet. "You okay, 'Kura?"

"I'm fine," he says with a blank face. "I'm just tired."

"Mmm." I grasp his hand, our fingers interlocking. Bakura doesn't say anything, but a tiny smile does appear on his face as he reaches up to turn the sink off with his free hand.

This is how Bakura's been ever since our marshmallow talk. Less grumpy. Less sad. He seems almost…happy sometimes.

Which makes me happy.

He's also opened up to me a lot about what his family was like before Mariku took him. Those conversations had to take place in our bedroom or in the bathroom-places Mariku couldn't overhear. Because if he did, Bakura would be in a world of trouble.

But Mariku doesn't overhear, and Bakura is free to talk. He talks about his mom, his sister, sometimes his dad, but not nearly as much as he does anyone else. But mostly, he talks a lot about Ryou, his twin. Way more than anyone else in his family. Bakura says they're identical twins, but Ryou has green eyes while Bakura had brown. I ask him if he and Ryou had any special twin powers, like a mind connection or something, but he just got a sad look in his eye and said no. I stopped bothering him about it after that.

I can't help but feel a little jealous of Ryou. Bakura is close to him even though they've spent almost half their lives apart. I bet Ryou would know how to make Bakura smile when he got upset about something. Hell, Ryou would probably be able to figure out what made Bakura so upset in the first place. Ryou would probably get everything out of Bakura; his weird-ass drawings, his obsession with death, his cutting…

Damn, his cutting.

"Hey, 'Kura," I say, quietly so Mariku can't hear. I stare at the ground, even though I know I shouldn't be ashamed.

"What?"

He sounds impatient. He wants to go to bed. I start to think that maybe I should wait until tomorrow, when he's not tired, but I don't want to keep blowing this off. I have to know. I have to know now.

"There's something I have to ask you about," I say, peeking at him up through my eyelashes. Bakura noticeable stiffens, but he doesn't say anything.

"Look, I love you and I promise I'm not going to judge you…" I start off. I grab his other hand, hoping it'll relax him. It doesn't.

"I don't like where this is going," he grumbles. "Can we just go to bed?"

"No, Bakura, this is important." I stare him down. He rolls his eyes. "Bakura. I'm only talking about this because I care about you. When…when I got really sick and Mariku and your uncle had to drive me to the clinic, they talked about you in the car. They said you were…you had…you cut yourself."

Bakura's silent. He stares at the ground. I drop one hand and bring in to his face, resting my palm on his cheek. "I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, Bakura, but I'm really worried and-"

"This discussion is over," Bakura states, then tries to step around me. I quickly grab his shoulders to prevent him from escaping.

"Bakura, this is serious!"

"Let me go, Marik! I don't want to talk about it!"

"But I do! I'm worried!" I push him back against the counter, using more force than I intended. Bakura's back slams against the edge of the counter. I immediately loosen my grip on him. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Let go of me."

Bakura stares at me, hard. I stare back. Neither one of us backing down.

"You're hurting yourself," I begin. "And I don't like it. I don't want you to do it."

"Well, that's just too fucking bad, isn't it?" He spits. "I can't please everyone. Some of you are going to have to make due."

"Bakura, this isn't about pleasing me! This is about you, and how you feel-"

"Oh, shut up. You don't mean that."

I stop, shocked by his hard words and cold stare. "Of course I do. Bakura, I'm here for you."

"No, you're not. What I do with my body is my own business, you have no right to get all butthurt about it. You're just like my uncle and Mariku-"

"No, I'm not!" I yell, louder than I intended. Something that looks like fear flashes in Bakura's eyes, but he stands up straighter anyway.

"Yes you are! You're always in my business and, and you don't really care! You only care about what I do because if I weren't here, you'd be bored and lonely! You don't actually care about me! You're just like them!"

"I'm _nothing_ like them!" I'm screaming at this point, but I can't stop myself. Because Bakura is still talking, and his words cut into me, and I can't hear them and I have to make him stop and he opens his mouth to say more horrible, horrible things-

I just want him to stop talking.

My body reacts before my brain catches up to it. My hand forms a perfect fist. I propel it right into Bakura's stomach.

Bakura doubles over, gasping for his lost air. I can't control myself and I punch him again. His head jerks up, but I don't see him. All I see is that mouth, poised to open again, ready to spew our more hateful words. My hand opens up, and I slap him across the face.

Bakura grabs a knife. A big steak knife, that I don't remember being on the counter. The knife block is on its side though, so Bakura must have knocked it over. I don't remember him doing that. I don't remember him reaching back at all.

His fingers close around the knife handle. I jump back and manage to avoid the blade as Bakura swipes through the air.

"Get away from me!" he screams. "Get away!" He stabs the knife in the air, but I'm too far away to be hit. Bakura shuffles sideways, not taking his eyes off me until he reaches the bathroom. He darts in. slamming the door shut and locking it behind him.

I run to the door and immediately begin pounding. "Wait, Bakura! I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"

"Get away!"

His screams are…frightening.

"What the fuck is going on down here?!"

Mariku is at the foot of the stairs, looking tired and very pissed off. I've never been happier to see him.

"Bakura's locked himself in the bathroom with a knife."

His eyes pop open, and he flies across the room. He begins pounding on the door, jiggling the handle at the same time. "Bakura? Bakura, open this damn door!"

"Get away from me!"

"Open the door!"

"Leave me alone! Or I'll…I'll kill myself! I swear I will!"

I can't help myself. I throw myself at the door, pounding and kicking and pleading. From what I can tell, it does nothing.

"I'm calling Akefia," Mariku says quietly. "See if you can try to talk him down."

I nod, and go right back to pounding and pleading. "Bakura, please come out!"

"No!"

"Please! I'm sorry! I won't…I'll try not to get angry from now on!"

"You need to get over here right this second," Mariku hisses into the phone. "Bakura's gone all psycho and is threatening to kill himself, and Marik and I can't talk him off the edge." He remains on the line for a few more seconds, then puts the phone down and returns to the door, staring at me for a minute before rolling the sleeves of his sweatshirt up. "Stand back, Marik. I'm gonna break the door down."

"No! He'll get scared and he'll stab himself or something!" I jump in front of the door with my arms out, as if that would really stop Mariku if he decided to charge. Mariku huffs.

"Well, I don't know what else to do! He's not listening to either of us!"

More pounding, but from not from us. Mariku runs over to unlock the front door. Akefia barrels past him, not even sparing Mariku a glance. "Where is he?!"

"In the bathroom," Mariku gestures. Akefia runs to the door. "Marik says he has a knife!"

"Bakura? Bakura baby, it's me." Akefia keeps his voice soft, but urgent. He pays no attention to me or Mariku. "Look, I know you're upset but you really, really need to come out of there."

"Go to hell!"

"Okay, you don't have to come out," Akefia sighs. "But you need to at least unlock the door and let me in so I can make sure you're safe."

"No!"

"Bakura, please. Just let me in. I'm not going to hurt you."

"What the fuck started this?" Mariku asks me. "What made him go so ballistic?"

Akefia glances back at us to show that he's listening, but he quickly returns to talking to Bakura through the door.

I could…I could tell them Bakura and I were fighting. But I don't really want to do that. Akefia would be angry with me for hitting Bakura, and I don't really like the idea of Mariku knowing that we don't always get along. Plus both Mariku and Akefia probably aren't aware that I knew what they were talking about during that car ride.

"I…I don't know," I make myself say. "We were loading up the dishwasher and he just started talking like that…he grabbed a knife and ran into the bathroom when I tried to take it away from him. I don't know why he's acting like this."

Mariku makes a little 'hmph' noise and turns back to Akefia and the door, his arms folded across his chest. We watch Akefia knock and plead for a few more minutes, then Bakura mercifully unlocks the door.

Both Mariku and I step forward, but Akefia fixes us with a glare as he opens the door. "Just me," he says. He disappears into the bathroom, shutting the door tightly behind him.

"Well, this is great," Mariku huffs as he leans against the counter. "This is fan-fucking-_tastic_."

"At least Bakura should be okay now," I say. Mariku just stares.

Akefia talks to Bakura for what seems like forever. I can't hear everything they're saying, but I catch parts. Akefia tries to get Bakura to hand over the knife. Bakura is adamant about keeping it. Eventually it sounds like Bakura gives in and let's Akefia take the knife. Then their voices drop again and I can't make anything out.

Mariku and I just stand there, waiting. Not saying anything.

After what seems like an eternity, Akefia steps out of the bathroom, knife in hand.

"I'm taking Bakura home with me," he declares, setting the knife down on the counter. He locks eyes with Mariku, staring him down. "What, you're not going to argue?"

Mariku blinks, then sighs and brings his hand up to ruffle his hair spikes. "Ah, no. I can't deal with him. You'd probably…you can deal with him better."

There's a long pause. Akefia stares back, looking more than a little surprised. "Um, thanks, I guess." Then he seems to snap out of his reverie, walking across the room to grab Bakura' shoes. He returns to the bathroom, talking to Bakura in hushed tones for a minute before they reappear.

Akefia keeps his arm securely around Bakura's shoulders, pressing him tightly against his body. Bakura hugs himself, his hands grasping his upper forearms like he's holding on for dear life. He's not looking up at me, but I can still see his downturned eyes. Wide, unblinking.

I want to run to Bakura. I want to throw my arms around him and press him tight to my chest, stroking his hair and telling him how much I love him. But I can't do that right now. I just can't. So I stand and watch as Akefia once again takes my best friend away.

* * *

**Hey look, I _can _update faster! Instead of taking four times as long to make a chapter, it only took me twice as long!**

**But hey, I got the chapter out...**

**Sorry, I think I told some people there would be sex in this chapter...and there wasn't. Just angst. I actually don't know when there will be more sex. Maybe next chapter? I actually have no idea what's going to happen in the next chapter... (You guys give me way too much credit, by the way. I seriously don't have a clue what I'm doing)**

**So I got immensely frustrated with the words 's'more' and 'marshmallow' in this chapter. S'more just looks ridiculous, and I kept freaking out and thinking marshmallow was misspelled...WHY THE FUCK ARE THE SPELLED WITH AN 'A'?! WE DON'T PRONOUNCE IT 'MARSHMAAAAAALLOW.' But yeah. I'm really not sure why I had the make s'mores...it just kind of happened. It was cute, so I went for it. **

**I know both Marik and Bakura have been extremely out of character during this entire fic basically, hopefully they're starting to seem more in character now. I didn't try to make them murderous assholes as children because...they're children. But they're older now, so I can have a bit more fun. (And I've completely given up on trying to make Akefia in character, sorry. Hope no one minds!)**

**In other news, I have a Tumblr! I have the same name there, plus this fic has its own hashtag. I have like, twelve followers, I don't even know if that's good or not, but you should all check me out anyway. I should have a link on my FF profile (which I just redesigned) as well as a link to my DeviantArt account. Tumblr really confuses me and I kind of fail at it...just so you know!**

**ALSO, I forgot to mention this in the last chapter because I'm a terrible person, but Cliscia drew me some wonderful fanart! For some reason I never linked it on my profile, but I'll put one up tonight after I get done with work. It's really fucking gorgeous and I love it. She is Yao-Ling on DA, and the picture is titled 'It Might Be A While.' Go check out the rest of her pictures, because she's a really talented artist and super awesome.**

**If anyone else wants to draw me pictures, DO IT BECAUSE YOU WILL EARN MY ETERNAL LOVE.**

**Ahem, anyway. So I have about a month before I go back to school, and I'm hoping to get one, _maybe_ two more chapters in before I go to college. Hopefully get the second chapter of 'Road Trip' done. (Will I ever stop coming up with horrible titles?) It's already like, halfway done, so I plan on uploading that along with Chapter 21. Also, I got two requests for pictures, which is weird and horrible because I can't draw. :P If you made one of these requests (I think they were both made by the same person actually) I'm sorry I can't remember who you are right now, I checked my inbox to see if I could find the request but I can't and I have to leave for work soon. But anyway, I got a request to draw up the floor plans of Mariku's house/the shed, because apparently I fail at descriptions. I actually have that almost done, so I'll put those up soon for other confused people. My other request is a picture of Mariku reading to little children...because I was talking with someone about Mariku volunteering at Marik's school, and I said that he probably would be working in an office doing paperwork or something...but the idea of Yami Marik sitting in a classroom full of preschoolers, reading Dr. Suess was just too hilarious. So I'm going to draw that. (I'm REALLY sorry I can't remember people's names!)**

**Review please! I have to go to work now, so I'll see you all tonight!**

**Love and rainbows!**

**-Fai**


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